Evaluating 10 years of Early Years Systems Change: Insights from Lambeth Early Action Partnership

In 2015, the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) became one of five local partnerships forming part of A Better Start—a ten-year national programme funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. LEAP aimed to improve life chances for babies, young children, and families in some of Lambeth’s most economically disadvantaged areas, from Stockwell to Myatt’s Field, North Brixton, and Tulse Hill. Through a range of services and initiatives, LEAP worked to reduce inequalities in early childhood development, enhance the well-being of parents and carers, strengthen local support systems, and drive broader systemic change. 

Now, a decade on, Dartington Service Design Lab is proud to present 10 Years On: An Evaluation of Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP), sharing the findings from a comprehensive programme evaluation. This report explores how place-based systems change can improve outcomes for children and families. Using a theory-driven approach, we’ve uncovered not just what outcomes were achieved, but how and why they happened in such a dynamic context. These insights are invaluable for funders, policy-makers, and others looking to create more effective early years services and community programmes. 

The learning from this evaluation will help shape future efforts to better support families and transform services in meaningful, lasting ways.

You can read the executive summary on the right.

Alternatively, you can download the executive summary, the full report and the methodology supplement by clicking on the buttons below.

Why is this evaluation different?

As demand grows for multi-component, place-based, and flexible programmes like LEAP, the evidence base remains limited. That’s why LEAP partnered with Dartington Service Design Lab to carry out a comprehensive evaluation from April 2021 to August 2024. The goal was to understand how LEAP contributed to improving the lives of children and families in Lambeth, identifying which children benefited, under what circumstances, and why. 

What makes this evaluation stand out is its theory-driven approach. We used a combination of methodologies—such as theory of change, contribution analysis, and realist evaluation—to test assumptions about how programmes drive systems change. By doing this, we could pinpoint not just what worked, but how and why it worked for different families in different contexts. This deeper understanding can have a lasting impact on the design of future programmes, ultimately improving the lives of children and families. 

Equally crucial was our commitment to equity. By engaging with communities at the grassroots level and sharing decision-making with those most affected, we ensured the evaluation reflected the real-life experiences of families on the ground. You can learn more about this collaborative approach on our dedicated page on community research.

What did we find?

LEAP improved outcomes for children

Babies and children whose families engaged with relevant LEAP services were 40% more likely than those who did not to have reached expected levels of overall development at two and a half. This is because LEAP helped to build responsive relationships around children, nurture children's capabilities, and reduce their exposure to stress. 

LEAP improved outcomes for parents and carers:

Parents’ and carers’ mental health and wellbeing improved by 12% following engagement with LEAP services, while parenting knowledge, skills, and behaviour improved by 5%. The greatest improvement was for those from more economically deprived areas. LEAP contributed by nurturing trust between parents, carers, practitioners and community workers and strengthening connections in parents' networks. 

LEAP influenced wider systems change 

Nationally, LEAP influenced the £301.75 million Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. In Lambeth, LEAP directly informed approaches to parent and community participation, secured ongoing support for many of its services, embedded evidence-based, family-centred practice among early years practitioners and completed improvements on 11 children’s centres, one o’clock clubs and early years hubs.  

Using this learning to create a better future for children, young people and families

Our evaluation of LEAP shows that place-based systems change is possible, but it requires sustained investment, collaborative infrastructures, and a commitment to understanding what works for whom. These insights are valuable not only for those working in Lambeth but also for anyone involved in early childhood systems change. 

Drawing from LEAP’s experience, we offer the following recommendations to policymakers, funders, and practitioners aiming to replicate or build upon LEAP’s approach:  

1. Invest in Early Childhood Support - The pandemic, service cuts, and the cost-of-living crisis have worsened inequalities for children. We need to prioritise investments in pregnancy and early childhood, ensuring support reaches the families who need it most. 

2. Build Connecting Infrastructures - Successful early years interventions rely on collaborative networks. By creating a backbone infrastructure, we can enable community workers, families, and practitioners to work together for family-centred support.

3. Pooled, Place-Based Funding - Short-term, isolated funding breeds competition, not collaboration. Policymakers and funders must create long-term, pooled budgets that allow local stakeholders—including parents and carers—to make joint decisions on early years support. 

4. Strengthen the Early Years Workforce - Staff shortages, funding cuts, and rising demand have hampered holistic practice in early years services. Investing in the recruitment, retention, and professional development of staff will be key to sustaining quality care. 

5. Develop an Early Years Data Infrastructure - The UK’s current system for tracking child development through services is inadequate. National and local authorities must invest in data infrastructure that allows for population-level learning and supports real-time improvements in service delivery. 

6. Address Poverty - Early years interventions alone cannot solve systemic poverty. Policymakers need to take collective action to ensure families have access to safe housing, universal childcare, and robust social support systems to address the root causes of inequality.

At Dartington Service Design Lab, we remain committed to testing what works for children and families, under what conditions, and why — because by understanding these complexities, we can create more impactful and sustainable solutions for the future.   

Should you want to know more about this project and what’s coming up next for Dartington, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with Tim Hobbs.