Study shows scale of troubled families’ problems

A new report has shown that troubled families being helped to turn their lives around have an average of 9 different serious problems.

The independently produced data published yesterday showed that, as well as having significant problems with truancy, youth crime, anti-social behaviour and worklessness; of the families being worked with in the government’s Troubled Families programme:

•     71% also have a health problem
•     46% have a mental health concern
•     29% are experiencing domestic violence or abuse
•     22% have been at risk of eviction in the previous 6 months
•     35% had a child of concern to social services or who has been taken into care
•     40% have 3 or more children, compared to 16% nationally
•     police callouts in the previous 6 months have averaged 5 per family

Head of the government’s Troubled Families programme Louise Casey CB said the findings showed the need for a new approach from services to helping the most troubled families turn their lives around that “gets in through the front door and really understands what’s going on across the whole family”.

She said:”This report paints a picture of families sinking under the weight of multiple problems and is an illustration of why we can’t treat the individual problems of individual members of a complex family in isolation.

“It shows that these problems are interlinked and that they spiral out of control unless we do something about it.

“The best services understand that and provide practical solutions as well as challenge and support. However this data also shows how big the challenge is and why we need to take this approach to a wider group of families with a wider set of problems as soon as we can.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles added:”This report is an eye-opener into the lives that troubled families lead. We already knew that they were stuck in a rut and costing the taxpayer billions of pounds every year without intervention through the demand they put on services.

“But these figures show that the scale of their problems is truly shocking and puts the achievement of having turned around 53,000 troubled families already into an even starker light. That’s why I’m pleased we will be taking the hands on, tough love approach of the Troubled Families programme even further and faster and will start work with up to 40,000 additional families this year.

Read the Understanding Troubled Families report.