In the I yesterday there was an item headed "Children's centres face closure as funding falls".
Research by the Sutton Trust last year apparently found as many as 1,000 children's centres may have closed since 2009.
Sir Peter Lampl of the Sutton Trust said "good quality early years provision makes a huge difference to the development of children, especially those who come from the poorest homes".
There is an increasing number of children who are growing up in sub-standard, very cramped accommodation, often having to move several times during their schooling due to a lack of council/social housing and a very insecure private rental market. Family poverty and cuts in education budgets that have led to redundancies of teaching assistants and other support staff, add to this mix of negative conditions for learning and socialising.
Although it is predominantly young people with these sorts of issues that are more vulnerable to being caught up in gangs, it is not necessarily the case. I personally knew two senior educational professionals whose child became a member of a gang and committed a very serious crime.
No doubt there were difficulties in this and other families - different parenting styles, relationship breakdowns, etc, etc. - but even if parents have not parented wisely, that does not necessarily indicate they are negligent or uncaring. And it also should not mean that their children cannot receive the additional support they need.
A disaffected child can easily fall into the hands of criminals and becomes a disaffected - and dangerous - adult. Intervention at a young age can make a huge difference.
