Beyond doubt, large numbers of children in England start life at an extreme disadvantage. Parents who themselves have been poorly educated are often incapable of giving their children experiences that foster intellectual and social growth. Many of these children live in estates where unemployment, crime, family breakdown, alcoholism and drug abuse are rife.
Were Sure Start to have a measurable impact on these problems, no-one would begrudge the odd billion here or there. The economic costs of maintaining an alienated underclass are enormous, and the human costs are incalculable.
However, Sure Start has drifted away from its original focus on needy children and become a universal entitlement. In the current fiscal climate, this provision is highly vulnerable. The abolition of child tax credit for middle-class families should serve as a warning.
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