An evaluation of the effectiveness of intervention in families with children with behavioural problems within the context of a sure start programme

Sure Start is a Government project that aims to prevent social exclusion by targeting children between 0 and 4 years of age living in areas of social and economic deprivation. This study examined whether a Tier 2 Behaviour Support Service within a local Sure Start project was able to bring about improvements in children's behaviour and the levels of stress experienced by parents. Children and their families referred to a Sure Start Behaviour Support Service between October 2001 and April 2002 were assessed. Intervention with the families took the form of Parent Management Training with Solution Focused Brief Therapy. Thirteen children were referred and intervention took place with 10 children. Some initial improvement was found in all cases; however, efficacy appeared to be low in multiproblem families and six children required further referral for multidisciplinary assessment and treatment. Due to the small size of the study, it was not possible to carry out a statistical analysis. This study, however, raises questions about the level of behavioural support available to multiproblem families and the strength of links between Sure Start and core services.