Greater Manchester selected for troubled families pilot

Greater Manchester has been selected to take part in a pilot for a national government initiative to help vulnerable younger children from struggling homes to get a better chance in life.

Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, announced details this week of an expansion of the Government’s Troubled Families programme this year in 51 of the best performing areas, including all ten council areas in Greater Manchester.

A five-year programme will then be rolled out nationally from 2015 to help more troubled families who cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds per year without intervention.

Recent statistics from the programme show that out of the 675 families living in the Rochdale area who were identified as troubled in April 2012, 363 of those families had managed to turn their lives around by May 2014.

Troubled families are defined as those who are involved in youth crime or anti-social behaviour, have children who are excluded from school or regularly truanting, have an adult on out-of-work benefits, and who cost the public sector large sums in responding to their problems, an estimated £75,000 per year per family without intervention.

To help turn around their lives children are put back into schools, youth crime and anti-social behaviour is cut across the whole family, adults are put back into work, and costs to the taxpayer are reduced by tackling the families problems.

Eric Pickles said: “The Troubled Families programme has turned around the lives of over 4,000 families in Greater Manchester since 2012.”

“The programme has been a brilliant partnership between the government and councils, changing the way services are run, saving taxpayers’ money and turning around the lives of some of the hardest to help in the country, with kids back in school, youth crime and anti-social behaviour cut and adults better able to work.”