The effects of early years services (Sure Start) in Northern Ireland on social services interventions

Abstract Sure Start is an area-based intervention which offers support for families with children under four living in some of the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland. This study uses administrative data on almost every child born in Northern Ireland between 2006 and 2013 (n = 108,000). We use a quasi-experiment (Regression Discontinuity design) to measure the impact of Sure Start on interactions with social services in the first five years of life. Our results suggest that Sure Start substantially reduces rates of children who are referred to social services and become a ‘child in need’. We find that these effects are stronger for mothers who were 21 or younger at childbirth and in the first three years of life. However, we find no effects for child protection or a child going into out-of-home care. These findings suggest that area-based early years interventions can be effective at reducing statutory interventions with benefits for families and social services. Further research is recommended to take advantage of the administrative data and design-based evaluation methods to explore the impact of Sure Start in later life.