Troubled Families Christine Pryor Divisional Director, Targeted Family Support
Troubled Families Programme • 120,000 most troubled families in England to be targeted • 3 year programme with £100k per annum • Funding received on a payments by results basis • 645 families identified in Barking and Dagenham • Estimated cost to tax payer of £48.375m
Definition of Troubled Family • Children not attending school • Involvement in crime and/or anti-social behaviour • Not in work • High cost to public purse
Criteria for Identifying Families Criteria 1 – Crime/anti-social behaviour Criteria 2 – Education Criteria 3 – Work Criteria 4 – Local Discretion
Criteria 1 – Crime/Anti-social Behaviour • Under 18 year olds with a proven offence in last 12 months and/or • Members with anti-social behaviour order, injunction, contract or housing related intervention in last 12 month
Criteria 2 – Education • Child with permanent or 3 more fixed term school exclusions in last 3 terms • Child in Pupil Referral Unit or alternative provision because they have been excluded • Child not on a school roll • Has 15% unauthorised absence or more from school in last 3 terms
Criteria 3 – Work • An adult on Department for Work and Pensions “out of work” benefits
Criteria 4 – Local Discretion • Vulnerable 2 year olds • Children experiencing chronic neglect • Children who are Children in Need or have Child Protection plan • Teenage parents • Teenage parents • At risk of eviction, with rent arrears • Member in custody • All exclusions and at risk of exclusion • Known to Targeted Services
Success Criteria (Result) • Each child family has had fewer than 3 fixed exclusions and less than 15% unauthorised absence in last 3 terms • 60% reduction in anti-social behaviour across the family in last 6 months • Offending rate by all minors in the family reduced by 33% in last 6 months • At least 1 adult in family has moved off out of work benefits into continuous employment in last 6 months or One adult in family has volunteered for Work Programme or attached to European Social Fund provision in last 6 months.
Financial Implications • Average unit cost of intensive interventions is approximately £10,000. • DCLG is making available up to £4,000 for each troubled family. • Council and partners are expected to make up the rest of the £6,000 investment. • A proportion of the £4,000 will be paid upfront as an ‘attachment fee’ for the number of families with whom council starts working. • LBBD has committed to working with 215 families in each year of the programme. • DCLG will provide attachment fee funding for every 5 out of 6 families. • LBBD will therefore receive attachment feed funding for 179 families.
Income 2012 - 2015 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Total Income Income 179 families 179 families 179 families Up front @ £3,200 @ £2,400 @ £1,600 attachment fee Payment by £0 £0 £0 result (Note 1) Total Income £572,800 £429,600 £286,400 £1,288,800
Turning the Families Around • Use of the Family Common Assessment • A multi-agency approach • Clear, focused action plans with measurable outcomes • Small case loads enabling targeted work • Use of voluntary sector
Profiles of 242 Identified Families • 78 – Crime and anti-social behaviour • 183 – Poor school attendance • 216 – In receipt of out of work benefits • 5 – Vulnerable 2 year olds • 83 – Child protection plan or child in need • 17 – Teenage parent • 8 – Adult in prison • 36 – At risk of eviction
Profiles of 242 Identified Families continued • 20 – In rent arrears • 44 – Excluded from school • 91 – Social care • 70 – Common assessment (previous) • • 30 – Open Common assessment 30 – Open Common assessment • 103 – Known to multi-agency locality teams • 14 - Family Intervention Project • 59 – No assessment by Social Care, Common Assessment or Youth Offending Service
Interim Outcomes Framework (examples) • Parent expresses interest in accessing the job market and developing work based experience/improving training skills • Number of families of excluded children engaging with the Parent Advocacy Project • Reduction in number of days lost through fixed term exclusions • Number of families engaged with Family Common Assessment Framework and attending review meetings • Number of sessions absent each half term
Progress with Programme • Identification of 242 families • Training programme on Family CAF • Lead professional for every family to initiate Family CAF • Review of all social care assessments and action plans • Contract with School/Home Support, Parent Support Advisors • Contract with Carers of Barking and Dagenham, advocacy to families with excluded children • Merging of Family Intervention Project and Crisis Intervention Teams to form Troubled Families Team • Recruitment of 4 Targeted Family Support Workers, 2 Targeted Youth Workers and 2 Family Intervention Project Workers to strengthen Troubled Families Team • Intensive support from Reed Employment
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