During last year's Spending Round, the Government announced it would extend the Troubled Families programme, due to end in 2020, by another year. The programme, launched in 2015, was originally set to run for five years.
The new investment will be used to tackle ‘complex inter-connected problems including unemployment, poor school attendance, mental health issues, anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse.
According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, since the programme began, 297,733 families have ‘made improvements with the problems that led to them joining the programme.
Key findings from an evaluation of the programme, published last spring, reveal compared to families with similar characteristics not in the programme 19 – 24 months after receiving support:
- The proportion of children on the programme going into care reduced by a third.
- The proportion of adults on the programme going to prison reduced by a quarter.
- More people on the programme were back in work, with 10 per cent fewer claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick MP said, ‘The Troubled Families programme will help more people in need get access to the early, practical and coordinated support to transform their lives for the better.
‘This is the right thing to do for families and for society as a whole, and these reforms will reduce the demand and dependency on costly, reactive key public services.
‘We want to build on the success of the programme in the coming year, delivering on our manifesto commitment to ensure we reach all those who could benefit from the programme – from the early years and throughout their lives.’
