Washington adviser to brief MLAs

A senior advisor to the Washington State Legislature is to brief MLAs on the benefits of early intervention and prevention work in the lives of children.

Steve Aos, Assistant Director of the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, will also address the economic advantages of investing in early intervention programmes.

Hosting the seminar, Junior Minister Gerry Kelly, said: “Steve Aos is well known and highly regarded in the field of research and his work has become the primary source of evidence on the cost effectiveness of prevention in the US.

“The Institute has also been effective in altering the balance of expenditure in Washington State in favour of prevention.

“As champions for children and young people, Jeffrey Donaldson and I are determined to do all we can to enrich the lives of our children and keep our goal of improving their lives as a top priority as set out in our 10 Year Strategy for Children and Young People,” added Minister Kelly.