Guidance
Appendix D Gaps in the evidence
Appendix D Gaps in the evidence
The Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee (PHIAC) identified a number of gaps in the evidence related to the programmes under examination based on an assessment of the evidence. These gaps are set out below.
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There is limited UK evidence on the effectiveness of interventions (home visiting, childcare and early education) to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of vulnerable children aged under 5 years.
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There is limited UK evidence on the cost effectiveness of early interventions to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of vulnerable children aged under 5 years. This includes evidence on the distribution of costs and benefits across all relevant sectors including health, education, social care, welfare and criminal justice.
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There is a lack of nationally agreed definitions and measures of vulnerability and risk relating to the social and emotional wellbeing of children aged under 5 years. This makes surveillance, planning and evaluation difficult.
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There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of different methods of delivering early interventions.
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There is limited evidence on the differential impact of early interventions on the social and emotional wellbeing of particular groups of vulnerable children aged under 5 years and their families. (This includes, for example, the impact on particular minority ethnic groups and on children whose parents have mental health problems.)
The Committee made 8 recommendations for research into areas that it believes will be a priority for developing future guidance. These are listed in section 5.