Blogging gives a wary academic like me the chance to offer up half an idea for debate and trust that feedback and better information will help it on its way to becoming more useful.MORE

A balance has yet to be struck between the art of framing a national child development policy to apply at scale, and the science of developing an intervention that can be shown to improve children’s lives.MORE

I was invited to give a presentation at the last of a series of six ESRC-sponsored seminars gathering “interdisciplinary perspectives on emotional well-being and social justice in education policy and practice”MORE

Stop blaming the individual who does wrong or makes a mistake, and start thinking about the environment that leads to those wrongs and mistakes occurring in the first place. This is one of the take home messages from David Hemenway’s excellent book While We Were Sleeping, which catalogues success stories from the world of prevention.MORE

It's back to school time. A little later in England than in the United States. A week into the new term I ask my 13-year-old daughter how things are going.MORE

Innovation involves testing a method or idea. In children’s services it is usually about implementing a new policy or programme. But what about working out what would happen if a policy, programme or some other intervention in children’s lives was removed?MORE

I have spent the beginning of the week as Steve Aos’s chaperon, a most agreeable task. His hectic schedule, typically American, is partly my responsibility so I feel the least I can do is help him get from A to B.MORE

Working with a large US Foundation that is using Common Language to frame its future investments, a major challenge has been how to think about poverty. In the UK, there is a national health service and legislation in 1989 and 2004 offers a single set of orders and services for all children. The concept of progressive universalism allows for more of the same to be offered to children living in disadvantaged communities.MORE

'Opinion based discussions are more enjoyable; evidence based discussions are more productive.' I don't have much of a memory for quotations but, roughly speaking, that's what Sir Trevor Chinn, Chair of the Mayor's Fund for London, has been saying at several meetings to promote prevention in the UK capital.MORE