Prevention and early intervention

Despite widespread recognition that more preventative investment could reap great benefits to society and the public purse, it remains a marginal component of expenditure. Our rough estimate is that on average only 3 per cent of public sector spend goes on preventing issues or problems from occurring in the first place, or reacting before they become entrenched. We are keen to explore what benefits increasing the amount spent on prevention could achieve across different areas of our public services.

To do this we want to apply an innovation lens to prevention, helping to understand how a preventative strategy can be developed, financed and implemented. We also want to identify the areas where innovation is lacking, such as in prediction tools, financing or implementation, helping prompt further work in this space.

To starting stimulating debate and action we are publishing two papers. The first introduces prevention, outlines its potential in different areas, the potential barriers and limitations, as well as the resource, tools and methods to enable a prevention strategy to be created.  We greatly welcome feedback and comment on what we are proposing, as well as other areas we should explore. 

The second paper has been written for us by Dartington Social Research Unit. It makes a compelling case for greater preventative investment in children's services. It makes a compelling case for greater preventative investment in children's services. We hope this paper will inspire and guide those working in the field.

These publications are part of Nesta's ongoing work to explore the potential of greater preventative investment across  different areas of our public services, from children's services, social care, health, criminal justice, and beyond. We want to make prevention a central and strategic part of the decision making process, identifying where prevention could make a positive difference, and enabling these benefits to be effectively realized.

As always, we would greatly welcome your thoughts. 

If you would like to know more about our work on prevention, or have insights, comments or challenge to bring to bear, please contact Ruth Puttick, ruth.puttick@nesta.org.uk