CYP Now - Troubled Families programme 'has little impact'

The government's flagship Troubled Families initiative has had little impact in boosting job prospects or improving outcomes for children, a study commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government has found.

An evaluation report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that across a wide range of outcomes such as employment, benefit receipt, school attendance, safeguarding and child welfare, it was "unable to find consistent evidence that the programme had any significant or systematic impact".

Under the Troubled Families programme, local authorities began work in April 2012 with 120,000 families across England identified as experiencing multiple, inter-related challenges with the aim of turning their lives around by May 2015 at a cost of £448m.

Since then a further £900m has been committed to the initiative so it can work with an additional 400,000 troubled families by 2020.

The government pays councils up to £4,000 to work with each family, with the amount of cash they receive being based on results.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included