Twenty local authority areas have been chosen to provide the evidence base for early intervention schemes, as part of efforts to establish a national solution for problems affecting generations.

The Early Intervention Foundation, the brainchild of Nottingham North MP Graham Allen, will connect experts and advice over the next 18 months, allowing different areas to learn from each other across public sector boundaries to improve the life chances of babies, children and young people.

Earlier this year, after the prime minister launched the foundation at a Downing Street event in April, the Foundation wrote asking every Clinical Commissioning Group, Police and Crime Commissioner and top-tier council to participate in the first wave of 20 early intervention pilot projects.

At the start of the year, spending watchdogs the National Audit Office urged the Government to make a concerted shift away from reactive spending towards early action for the sake of better outcomes and greater value for money.

Organisations and areas in the first wave will be supported by the Foundation to increase the share of expenditure on evidence based prevention programmes aimed at reaching target groups cost-effectively.