In Focus: In depth - Family support programmes

While this bold ambition is achievable, it will pose a real challenge to the government, requiring significant expansion of existing programmes of family support. David Cameron emphasised the role of work being led by Emma Harrison in helping to achieve this goal. Harrison, founder and now chair of A4e, has been tasked with helping 100,000 families into work. However, it will not be enough alone. So far her programme has involved a relatively small number of families and is not designed to resolve some of the deeper, complex challenges that burden families with a long-term history of multiple problems.

Helping families resolve these underlying difficulties is neither swift nor easy but innovative family support programmes around the country show it is possible. These programmes get up close, often spending several weeks intensively with a family. They provide practical help, set goals and challenge progress. Since being set up in 2006, Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) of this kind have helped around 7,300 families and achieved some impressive results. The government's own calculations estimate that up to £81,600 could be saved for each family that completes an FIP. An evaluation report published in November 2009 found that of those families that had completed the intervention, the percentage of families that went on to have no involvement in antisocial behaviour rose from 10 per cent to 66 per cent.