FIPs are expensive, costing up to £20,000 per family. But when you consider that a very small number of families tend to soak up the lion's share of social care spending in each local authority, the costs of other interventions will be many times that amount.
Most FIPs are working because they are modelled effectively. Dealing with the family as a whole rather than a vulnerable individual in isolation is coherent and efficient. It's an approach that gets to the root of many social problems - such as mental health, substance misuse, school exclusion or criminal activity - much faster. Families have a key worker to build trust and ensure support is co-ordinated, and each of these works only with a small number of families for up to two years. The impact of FIPs after they have finished is less certain but the government is now monitoring families nine to 14 months after they leave the project.
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