Background to 70/30
Conventional approaches have failed to make any significant impact on levels of child maltreatment.
Following the discovery in 1995 that conventional approaches had failed to make any significant impact on levels of child maltreatment during the preceding 50 years, WAVE Trust was created to reduce violence and child abuse by concentrating on a causal rather than symptom-centred approach. Our strategy has been to identify the root causes of these problems, then to find global best practice in addressing them and, finally, to promote adoption of that best practice at both national and local level.
A major milestone on our pathway was the publication in 2005 of the report Violence and what to do about it. This identified the first 3 years of life as crucial in the formation of violent personalities, and recommended strategies and specific interventions to give children the type of start in life that leads to pro- rather than anti-social behaviour later. It also identified the strong link between violence and early life abuse or neglect. Key findings in the report included that:
- Violence is neither universal nor inevitable but a behaviour that is caused and can be prevented
- The best solution lies in efforts to create both better parenting and early intervention
- Prevention/early intervention are financially many times more effective than most traditional approaches to the problem
