This article discusses a review of the international literature on best practices and quality of early intervention programmes. In New Zealand and elsewhere, evaluations of early intervention programmes indicate that long-term, positive outcomes can be achieved and sustained by children participating in high-quality early care and education. Recognising the importance of getting children off to a good start in life, the Ministry of Social Development is building capacity throughout New Zealand to provide a variety of early intervention services to families. It was revealed that there is much to learn from the experiences of programmes that have been rigorously studied. Eight key elements of early intervention services that can be provided to families to help strengthen the long-term development and wellbeing of children encompass: programme quality, personnel and staffing issues, range of services, timing of service provision, duration of service delivery, intensity of services, location of services, and engagement and retention of families in services. It is concluded that the current status of the early intervention research provides a solid foundation of information about the effectiveness of early childhood interventions in English-speaking countries of the world. However, the issue of transferability to New Zealand must be considered before policy makers and service providers in New Zealand can reliably build upon this foundation. While many of the interventions and much of the research have been done in other parts of the world and at other points in time, these data offer a solid starting point for exploring what is likely to be effective in New Zealand.

Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, November 2005, 26: 117-130