Research reveals that Tessa Jowell’s programme not only helped early years children but went on to reduce youth crime

On 22 February 2019, I spoke at a conference in memory of a good friend, Tessa Jowell. The event was about her legacy, marking 20 years since the first Sure Start programmes, which she’d driven as public health minister.

Sure Start provided support for children under five, and was expanded through the 2000s before being all but abolished after 2010. By 2019, the evidence was mounting that the programme had delivered positive results for families and mothers, but it was too early to know the lasting impact on children.