A report has been produced by the Ministerial Task Force that created Equally Well, the Scottish policy for tackling health inequalities, on its implementation, alongside the government’s other social policy frameworks.

It recommends that “Resources should shift towards early intervention services”. “Early intervention … requires specific action in the early years, as well as sustaining the full range of preventative services that offer the opportunity for early intervention at different life stages. Examples of such preventative services include family support, education and learning support, helping the most vulnerable people to maximise their income, employability services, drugs and alcohol services, community policing and services targeted at vulnerable groups such as looked after children and offenders.”

It also recommends that “Community Planning Partnerships should fully involve the third sector in the planning and delivery of the transformational change in service delivery, which is necessary to make progress towards early intervention and the other principles of the three social policy frameworks. This involvement should reflect the crucial role of the third sector in supporting the most vulnerable people and communities, and in delivering the integrated working necessary to maximise the impact of early intervention approaches”.