Kids first

Too many children and young people today are at risk of falling outside education, employment and community life. Kids First! is a preventive initiative that brings local stakeholders together to support children and families earlier – before challenges escalate. With support from the Kavli Trust, collaboration around the child is strengthened to ensure safer childhoods and better long-term outcomes.

About the project

Kids First! – Phase 3 is a community-based prevention project addressing key societal challenges in Norway, including rising school absenteeism and dropout rates, mental health difficulties among young people, and high numbers of youth not in education, employment or training.

Building on earlier phases, the project moves from planning to implementation. Local authorities, voluntary organisations and businesses work together to launch targeted improvement projects, while developing models that can be scaled and applied in other communities.

The purpose is to strengthen prevention and early intervention through better coordination of services around children and families.
The intended societal impact is improved wellbeing, higher school completion rates, better mental health outcomes – and fewer young people experiencing long-term exclusion.

What the funding from the Kavli Trust will support

The grant from Kavli Trust will be used to:

• support the implementation of local preventive initiatives
• strengthen cross-sector collaboration around children and families
• develop and test scalable models for early intervention
• monitor, evaluate and share evidence on what works

About Center for Evidence and Implementation Nordic

Center for Evidence and Implementation Nordic (CEI Nordic) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families through better use of evidence and effective implementation. As part of the global CEI network, the organisation works closely with public services, communities and partners to ensure that proven approaches are translated into real-world impact.