Case study: Connecting early years child services

KPMG supported a provincial department to evaluate and make recommendations on improving access to and through its suite of early years services.

Infancy and early childhood, defined as the ages from zero to six, are critical for healthy brain development and a child's ability to respond to environmental influences.¹ Research indicates that up to 70% of young adults experiencing mental health issues report that their symptoms began in childhood, highlighting the importance of this developmental period.²

A range of early years services provide support to vulnerable young children and their families, particularly those with emerging mental health, developmental and behavioral needs. It is crucial that the pathways to and through supports are easily accessible for families.  A provincial department engaged KPMG to help with the evaluation of the existing pathways to early years services in an effort to create a more accessible system for families.

KPMG's collaboration with the provincial department included: mapping the existing services, developing an online community map, and providing opportunities for improvement.

KPMG conducted extensive stakeholder engagement, which included consultations and workshops to gather insights from community service providers and government partners involved in the delivery of early years services. This engagement included small group interviews and community mapping workshops, to inform the understanding of service pathways and enhance the overall service delivery.

KPMG produced a pathway map for several communities, which visually represented the interconnectedness of services and an evaluation report for each community that assessed the early years’ service pathway.

The province was able to publish a public facing service map that residents can use to find services in their local areas, for their specific needs. Internal training videos were also developed to support the continual maintenance of the mapping tool. Additionally, the province was provided with recommendations that, if implemented, would improve early years service access and delivery. 

The project not only improved the department’s understanding of its existing services but also empowered communities to better support their vulnerable children and families, ultimately leading to a more effective provincial early years system.

For more insights on the benefits of a prevention-based child and family services model and how it could help support your organizational goals, contact a KPMG professional.