The importance of the early years is well understood within the Welsh Government. Since 2003 work has been underway to develop effective interventions in this area, such as the Flying Start programme. However, the question of what works best and is most effective remains important. Events such as this that bring colleagues from the policy, academic and third sectors together, are crucial to developing a greater understanding of such issues.
Lots of work is currently going on within the Welsh Government to increase coherence on poverty. A Tackling Poverty Action Plan has been developed. The early years are important in this context.
What is key is to establish whether current initiatives are delivering and whether they have been evaluated effectively. In the current economic climate there are tough choices to be made. Events such as this shed light on international interventions, this is important. However, at the same time, it is important to acknowledge that when developing interventions, the Welsh Government cannot look solely at what works internationally and simply recreate it for Wales. An in-depth understanding of contextual issues is vital to informing the development and implementation of interventions.