Agencies Combine To Help Socially Excluded

The government will today attempt to help 66,000 adults facing chronic social exclusion by proposing that private and voluntary agencies, rather than a bewildering array of state agencies, should take responsibility for their future.

The move is aimed at the 1% of people thought most hard to reach, who rarely receive help when they hit a crisis. In London alone, there are thought to be 6,400 severely excluded adults.

Ministers believe that such vulnerable people are costing the state millions each as they repeatedly bounce up against the wide range of state agencies. It is estimated that the cost of arresting, charging and sentencing those with mental illness, for instance, amounts to £5bn a year. Research from the Cabinet Office suggests that 65% of these adults need help from six different groups, including benefits offices and housing services. As many as 41% are not registered with a GP.

Twelve schemes, combining voluntary, state and public agencies, to be announced today, will look at the root causes of the problems rather than see them as a snapshot. A Cabinet Office source yesterday said: “The aim will be to help this group negotiate the most critical moments in their lives, such as leaving prison, leaving care and fleeing domestic violence.”

Pat MacFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, said that if these adults suffered more than a few serious problems, such as addiction, depression, sexual abuse and low education skills, their problems could mount so much they would not know where to turn. Those released from jail could end up back in prison because of the huge burden. One aim of the scheme was to show it was not right to believe it was ever too late to intervene to help such repeat offenders.