Belsky, J., Mehuish, E., Barnes, J., Leyland, A. H., & Romaniuk, H. (2006). Effects of Sure Start local programmes on children and families: Early findings from a quasi-experimental, cross sectional study. British Medical Journal, 332, 1476-1481.
Type of Study: Non-randomized comparison group
Number of Participants: Intervention: 12,575 9-month-olds, 3927 36-month-olds. Comparison: 1509 9-month-olds, 1101 36-month-olds.
Population:
- Age range — Children aged 9 months or 36 months at the beginning of the study.
- Race/Ethnicity — Intervention: 73.2% White, 5.1% mixed, 1.5% Indian, 7.3% Pakistani, 3.2% Bangladeshi, 1.4% Black Caribbean, 4.6% Other Black, 3.7% Other/Unknown. Comparison: 63.9% White, 6.2% mixed, 2.5% Indian, 8.7% Pakistani, 5.2% Bangladeshi, 1.7% Black Caribbean, 6.2
- Gender — Not Specified
- Status — All families with children at the given time were eligible.
Location / Institution: United Kingdom
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Due to government restrictions, the evaluation could not use a true, randomized design. Sure Start participants were recruited from 150 randomly selected local programs. Comparison families were recruited from an area where Sure Start had not yet been implemented. Mothers or guardians participated in a computer-assisted interview during a home visit, which covered use of community services, family functioning, and child health and development. Children were also assessed with standardized measures of cognitive and linguistic functioning. Results showed some small intervention effects on family functioning for some groups. Mothers of 9-month-olds reported less household chaos, and mothers of older children reported more parental acceptance. Intervention families reported less negative parenting, except in the case of teen-age mothers. For children of 36 months, the intervention was associated with fewer behavior problems, unless the mother was a teenager, in which case the effect was reversed. Statistical tests suggested that the effects of the program were mediated by its influence on parenting. The authors suggest that more socially deprived families such as those with single parents or teen mothers might find the home visits stressful.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.
Carpenter, J., Brown, S., & Griffin, M. (2007). Prevention in integrated services: The impact of Sure Start on referrals to social services and child protection registrations. Child Abuse Review, 16, 17-31.
Type of Study: Pretest/Posttest
Number of Participants: 4 social service authorities
Population:
- Age range — Children under 4
- Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
- Gender — Not Specified
- Status — Not Specified
Location / Institution: England
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
This study compared the number of referrals for social services and child protection reports before and after introduction of Sure Start in 4 areas. Referral data was provided by the child welfare authority for each area. The results indicated that there were no consistent trends in number of referrals either before or after the intervention. Interviews with staff members suggested that the possible effects the intervention on referrals might be complex, with some aspects of the program leading to increases in referrals as needs are discovered and some aspects leading to decreases in referrals due to use of services for prevention.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.
Melhuish, E., Belsky, J., Leyland, A. H., Barnes, J., & the National Evaluation of Sure Start Research Team. (2008). Effects of fully-established Sure Start Local Programmes on 3-year-old children and their families living in England: A quasi-experimental observational study, Lancet, 372, 1641-1647.
Type of Study: Non-randomized comparison group
Number of Participants: 7,762 children and their families
Population:
- Age range — Children were three years old at the time of the assessment.
- Race/Ethnicity — Intervention group: 84% White. Control group: 71% White
- Gender — Not Specified
- Status — Participants living in 150 Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP) areas in England were randomly selected from the Child Benefit Register. The control group of children and their families living in non-SSLP areas were chosen from the Millennium Cohort Study.
Location / Institution: England
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
This quasi-experimental observational study compared 3-year-old children and their families from 93 disadvantaged SSLP areas with 1,879 3-year-old children and their families from 72 similarly deprived areas in England who took part in the Millennium Cohort Study. Fourteen outcomes were measured, including children's immunizations; accidents; language development (the British Abilities Scales); positive and negative social behaviors, and independence; parenting risk; home-learning environment; father's involvement; maternal smoking, body-mass index, and life satisfaction; family's service use; and mother's rating of area. After controlling for background factors, beneficial effects associated with the programmes were noted for five of 14 outcomes. Children in the SSLP areas showed better social development than those in the non-SSLP areas, with more positive social behavior and greater independence. Families in SSLP areas showed less negative parenting and provided a better home-learning environment. These families used more services for supporting child and family development than those not living in SSLP areas. Effects of SSLPs seemed to apply to all subpopulations and SSLP areas. Limitations include a lack of randomization.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.
