The Addressing Neglect and Enhancing Wellbeing (ANEW) programme

All children have the right to have their needs met. These include having enough food to eat, having clean, proper clothing, shelter, support for learning, healthy growth and development, self-esteem, or healthcare. When a child’s emotional, physical and/or psychological needs are persistently not met, for whatever reason, it is well recognised that all areas of their health, development and growth can be seriously impacted. Children and young people can experience long-term effects on their wellbeing and ability to thrive that last long into adulthood. Over time, without effective early intervention, there can also be a greater demand on crisis-response and specialist services, meaning children and families don’t always have access to the support they need, when they need it.

In Scotland, it is recognised that there is more that must be done to reduce children and young people’s experience of neglect and its significant long-term effects. The Addressing Wellbeing and Enhancing Neglect (ANEW) programme was born out of a need to address these concerns.

About the ANEW programme

Existing evidence* highlighted the need to minimise the barriers to effective early intervention and focus on the needs of children and families in need of support, who may be known to services but falling just below the thresholds for formal measures to be taken.

The Scottish Government commissioned CELCIS to develop a programme to be delivered in partnership with local authority areas with the aim of strengthening the preventative approach in responding to child neglect and wellbeing concerns. CELCIS identified Active Implementation as the approach which would best suit this complex change programme and help bridge the gap between research and practice.

The ANEW programme launched in 2017, funded by Scottish Government as part of the Child Protection Improvement Programme. It worked alongside three local authority partner areas, Dundee, Inverclyde and Perth and Kinross, to identify the strengths and challenges across the whole system and support the development of a more effective approach to address neglect, enhance the wellbeing of children in need of care and protection, and support families. The programme concluded in early 2023. CELCIS’s involvement in the programme concluded in early 2023.

The objectives of the ANEW programme

Working alongside multiple partners, the aims of the ANEW programme were to:

Develop a strategic approach to intervene earlier and more effectively with children experiencing neglect based on sound evidence
Promote a deeper understanding of the current system of supports within a local area for families of children experiencing neglect
Develop additional capacity among the local workforce to support complex change and continuous improvement, for this programme and beyond.

Collaboration and partnership

At the heart of the ANEW programme was the objective to implement change and improvement based on the best available evidence of what works. To this end, collaboration was vital. CELCIS and our local authority partner areas worked alongside children, young people, families, professionals, and communities to utilise locally based ideas and solutions. Multiple partners, including nurseries, schools and health professionals participated in the programme, which contributed to real and sustainable improved outcomes for children and families.