The Council’s Connecting Families Team have been celebrating success – seven months ahead of schedule – after making it into England’s top ten list of service providers.
The team has successfully engaged and worked with 100% of their families – 215 in total – and is now in the top 10 in England after just submitting their final claim under the Government’s Troubled Families Programme.
The Connecting Families initiative supports local people with serious issues affecting their home lives.
The programme is run by the Council working with local partner organisations and provides an intensive support through positive interventions with the whole family.
As a direct result of this there are children back in school who were previously playing truant or excluded; high levels of youth crime and anti-social behaviour have been reduced; adults are moving off benefits and into work, therefore some of the cost to local public services and burden on the taxpayer are reduced too.
Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Cllr Paul Crossley (Lib-Dem, Southdown), said: “It’s great to see that the Council’s Connecting Families Team has reached its annual target seven months ahead of schedule and that its work is already benefiting so many local families.
“The team’s support is already making a big difference and improving the lives of many local families. Our approach is to ensure that each family has a named keyworker, who brings together services and agencies that can help the family.
“Together with the family they can decide on changes that are needed, draw up an action plan and, crucially, provide practical, hands-on support.
“Through positive interventions with the whole family, the team have made many changes in their lives; they have learned new ways of solving problems and issues as they occur, as well as achieving outcomes to meet the Government criteria, such as reducing crime and anti-social behaviours, increasing school attendance and moving people into work or training.”
Councillor Dine Romero (Lib-Dem, Southdown), the Council’s Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children, and Youth, said: “Our Connecting Families team is now acknowledged as being one of the most efficient teams in the country and is deservedly celebrating its success in engaging with more than 200 local families and helping them to take more positive steps to tackle the issues affecting their lives.”
In September, the Government signed up to be an early adopter of the new five-year Troubled Families Programme running up to 2020.
The new expanded programme has more detailed criteria including tackling health issues and adults who are financially excluded.
For more details about the Connecting Families Team check out the website: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/children-young-people-and-families/connecting-families
