Hertfordshire is one of 20 regions that will be used to test pioneering early intervention strategies aimed at protecting vulnerable children and families.

The Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) announced that Hertfordshire is to be one of its 20 ‘Early Intervention Pioneering’ places.

Hertfordshire County Council and the other authorities will share information and results in order to study what works best in real life examples.

In return, the EIF will provide expertise, advice and a link-up service, enabling Hertfordshire to learn from the success of other areas, and vice versa.

Richard Roberts, cabinet member for children’s services, said: "I’m delighted with this recognition of the work that we are already doing in Hertfordshire to identify potential social problems early, so that any issues faced by families do not become more serious.

"We are in a better position than ever to build on what we have already achieved through initiatives such as ‘Thriving Families’, which looks to identify and support vulnerable families; ‘My Baby’s Brain’, which gives practical advice on how parents can support their baby’s early development; and the health service’s family nursing partnership which supports more vulnerable young mothers through pregnancy and post birth.

"We are looking forward to working with colleagues from other authorities and learning more about how we can help vulnerable families."

Carey Oppenheim, chief executive of The Early Intervention Foundation, said: "The EIF believes that addressing the root causes of social problems, rather than trying to fix their after-effects, is better not only for individual children but for our society as a whole.

"Underpinned by robust evidence our mission is to change to a predominant culture from costly late reaction to effective early intervention, ensuring children at risk of poor outcomes are given the extra help needed to develop social and emotional skills to progress in life and in turn to save money.

"This first wave of 20 pioneering places will ground that mission in real life, giving us invaluable working examples of success."