The 70/30 Objective
We have set a radical but achievable goal of a 70% reduction in child maltreatment by the year 2030.
Against the background of decades of ineffectual action to reduce child maltreatment, we feel that the 2+ million children who annually suffer severe abuse or neglect deserve more effective action than the current approaches that merely tinker around the edges.
We have therefore created a business strategy whose aim over the coming decades is to create a radical reduction in levels of both violence and child maltreatment, with the initial focus on the latter because this seeds so much violence. (Here, our definition of maltreatment includes physical abuse, neglect and witnessing domestic violence.)
Our proposed approach is to set a radical but achievable goal of a 70% reduction in child maltreatment by the year 2030 – we call this the ‘70/30’ objective – and to create a coalition of supporters, spanning political parties, charities, professional experts and grass roots, with the intention of creating an unstoppable momentum demanding change.
We recognise that there will be resistance, not least the argument that society cannot afford the costs of such an initiative.
Our counter-argument is that society cannot afford not to make the necessary change. Our most recent research indicates that child maltreatment not only feeds into subsequent violent behaviour but is also a prime causal factor in mental health problems, poor physical health across a wide range of ailments, IQ, educational attainment and wealth generation.
The economic case for the types of effective interventions we have identified is potentially overwhelming. We have presented the economic arguments in our 2010 report International experience of early intervention for children, young people and their families and recognise our responsibility to continue making that case to policy makers. In addition the economic case is further laid out in our 2013 report 'Conception to age 2 - the age of opportunity'. The case is made in appendix 4 (page 100) of the report and can be found here.
