Hampshire supports troubled families

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Responding to Government's announcement on the Troubled Families Programme, Hampshire County Council said it was ready to lead a multi-agency challenge to help turn around the lives of hundreds of families in need across the county.

Government has pledged funding of up to £5.3 million for Hampshire partners on a payment by results basis to support a programme of work with around 1,600 families over three years. Hampshire County Council has already committed just under £1million to the scheme, over and above the significant resource already provided through its existing family intervention work.

Co-ordinated and tailored early help

A range of public sector partners will build on their existing work with families who need help to avoid escalating or continued problems. By working together more closely, it is expected that they can be helped to become less dependent on income related benefits, steer clear of trouble and improve children's attendance at school. The results will benefit many families and their communities right across Hampshire and avoid significant costs to tax payers. Providing co-ordinated and tailored early help for the whole family is the best way to achieve these outcomes. The family is where the strongest influence on the future prospects for children lies.

The partners who are committed to this shared ambition include: Hampshire County Council, the NHS Hampshire (including the new Clinical Commissioning Groups), Public Health, Department for Work and Pensions, Hampshire Constabulary, Hampshire Probation Trust, HM Prison Service, the 11 District and Borough Councils and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. These agencies will be working alongside voluntary and community organisations who are critical to success and often best placed to engage and provide tailored help.

Councillor Keith Mans, Executive Member for Communities, is leading the partnership group. He said:

"The approach we are leading with partners will support families in need, tackling the root causes of their problems to prevent them reaching crisis points.

"We've put in just under £1 million of extra investment over and above the significant resources already spent addressing such issues. This will now be backed by extra funding from Government over the next three years. We aim to do the best for Hampshire's communities whilst maximising the support we can secure from central Government.

"We want to demonstrate through this programme that a real difference is made to peoples' lives and that future costs to the tax payer are avoided. Families face many pressures in modern life. This programme intends to help them solve their problems for the good of the families themselves and the communities they live in."

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:

"It is great news that Hampshire County Council has agreed to run this programme. Together we can finally tackle a problem that has long been grappled with. We cannot go on spending so much taxpayers' money on such a small amount of families without turning their lives around once and for all. This programme is a unique opportunity to do so.

"We now have an opportunity to offer real and lasting change for these families and the communities around them. Everyone will benefit from getting kids off the streets and into school; getting parents off benefits and into work; and cutting youth crime and anti-social behaviour. But it is also right that we will only pay councils in full if they deliver the results that we require."

• Troubled families - Communities and neighbourhoods

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