Nursery World - Success of Troubled Families Programme over-emphasised, say MPs

The Public Accounts Committee says the Government ‘misled’ the public by claiming its Troubled Families programme ‘turned around’ the lives of 99 per cent of families (116,654) with ‘multiple disadvantages’ in England.

Within its report into the effectiveness of the programme, published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) argues that the DCLG ‘overstated’ its success and financial benefits. The DCLG claimed the Troubled Families programme had saved taxpayers £1.2bn.

The PAC states that families were considered ‘turned around’ on the basis of short-term outcomes rather than ‘long-term, sustainable change in families’ lives.’

The DCLG considered a family to be ‘turned around’ if it experienced a significant reduction in levels of truancy, anti-social behaviour and youth offending, or if an adult in the family moved into permanent employment.

The first phase of the Troubled Families programme was launched in 2012 by the Department for Communities and Local Government with the aim of ‘turning around’ the lives of the 120,000 ‘most troubled families’ in England by 2015.

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