Communities Secretary hails success of troubled families programme

An initiative aimed at helping families with complex problems has cut the proportion of children going into care and the number of juvenile convictions, Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has said.

The Communities Secretary insisted that national evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme showed it was making a positive difference.

Mr Brokenshire (pictured) said that when compared to a similar control group, the programme cut the proportion of children going into care by a third, reduced the proportion of adults sent to prison by a quarter, and saw juvenile convictions drop by 15%.

The initiative also supported more people on the programme back into work with 10% fewer people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, the minister said.

Since the current programme began in 2015, local authorities and their partners have worked with more than 400,000 eligible families, he added.

Speaking at the Centre for Social Justice, Mr Brokenshire said: “We all need support and commitment to achieve our full potential.

“We’re all the product of other people’s kindness. That starts with stronger families – as the cornerstone of stronger communities – and this is the driving spirit of the Troubled Families Programme.

“Fresh thinking is needed now more than ever to meet the challenges we face – like knife crime and gang culture.

“This programme is proving it has a valuable role to play as we look forwards to the upcoming spending review.

“It’s inspiring to see agencies working better together to help people succeed but the real story is the thousands of people who’ve taken control of their own lives. People are being helped to help themselves.”

Former head of the programme Dame Louise Casey said: “Since 2012, the first and current Troubled Families Programmes have – very deliberately – shaken up the way families with complex problems are supported, ensuring they are identified earlier to get the help they need, which is completely focused on helping families live better lives.

“Helping families to help themselves so their kids are not taken into care, or family members ending up in prison, and getting more people from the programme into work is testament to what frontline staff can do with the right resources and backing.

“This evaluation shows it was absolutely right to have invested so much in this approach since 2012.”

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2019, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Yui Mok / PA Wire.