For the last two decades (and no doubt before that) politics has been littered with references to the importance of early intervention and of work on prevention by public services and communities, when it comes to dealing with a broad range of society’s problems.
It is little more than common sense to assert that acting earlier to forestall a problem, rather than waiting and then coping with its consequences, is likely to be cheaper in the long term, as well as better for those involved.

