Despite sobering research indications of the scale of social breakdown in our country, we write as ‘optimistic realists’. Having drawn together the strands of evidence pointing towards the need for intervention in the earliest years of our children’s lives, we see clearly that too many communities are characterised by underachievement, lost potential and wasted lives.
Governments of all colours have tried their best, supported by heroic efforts in the public services and at the grass roots. Their focus, however, has often been purely on the economic, which is why successive governments have followed a short-term agenda, narrowly focusing on the economic rather than on the real-life influences on dysfunctional families. What this document shows is that child poverty and income are only part of the picture. Building human capabilities is at least as important and rewarding. Capable, competent human beings will almost always find their way in life, find work and raise happy families. This also means an end to the short-term, quick fix - a generational problem will take a generation to fix
Published : 31st May 2009
Author : Graham Allen and Iain Duncan Smith [ More From This Author ]
Publisher : Centre for Social Justice [ More From This Publisher ]
Rights : Centre for Social Justice,
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