Wiltshire Preventive Strategy

Removing and overcoming obstacles to health and development

1. Preventing obstacles to health and development arising (for example, reducing the incidence of domestic violence) – This is clearly the most desirable approach to prevention and is described for each obstacle under “Preventing the obstacle arising” .



2. Equipping children (& their families) to overcome obstacles (for example, enabling children to experience adversity without suffering long-term emotional and behavioural difficulties) – This is concerned with promoting the capacity of children and their families to cope with problems rather than responding with services to the effects of specific obstacles, which is described next. The core of this strand of the Preventive Strategy is the promotion of resilience in its widest sense, including the strengthening of families and communities to the indirect benefit of children. An action plan for promoting resilience is currently being developed. Also included in this strand are interventions designed to have an impact on children and young people in an indirect way though helping family functioning (for example, ameliorating a mother’s depression may be the best means of helping a child to overcome a specific difficulty).



3. Providing services to overcome obstacles (for example, providing “treatment” and support to enable children to overcome communication difficulties) – This is about responding to needs and preventing negative outcomes. Identifying the relevant services and making proposals to re-shape them were at the heart of the “Pathways” Project.