Family Intervention Projects 'tackling anti-social behaviour and turning lives around' » Housing » 24dash.com

A scheme targeting anti-social behaviour with one-on-one help for some of the country's most troublesome families is "turning lives around", according to the Government.

Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) see "persistent and assertive" individual case workers assigned to families to offer support but also to challenge behaviour.

The first 90 families to complete the projects have shown results that "cannot be ignored", according to research published by Minister for Children, Young People and Families Beverley Hughes.

Having completed the project, only 35% of families were still engaged in some level of anti-social behaviour.

The number of families engaged in four or more types of anti-social behaviour reduced from 61% to 7%.

The proportion facing one or more Asbo (Anti-social behaviour order) reduced from 45% to 23%.

Mrs Hughes said: "The project involves assigning an individual key worker to work intensively with each family, and the persistent way in which the assertive worker deals with the entrenched problems of the whole family is a key factor in their success.

"By giving very intensive challenge and support, the key worker is able to tackle really effectively the root causes of the families' anti-social behaviour, by not taking 'no' for an answer and showing families better ways of behaving and coping.

"Most families don't choose to become anti-social. They do so because of underlying problems they do not know how to deal with. This research shows that FIPs are turning things around for some of the most disadvantaged families in our society.

"Not only do the families benefit but so do the communities in which they live. Families previously deemed as a lost cause by services are being offered the challenge, support and incentives to become decent members of their communities and give their children a real chance in life."

Clare Tickell, chief executive of NCH, the children's charity, said: "These findings show that by using a combination of challenge and intensive support for those families involved in the most anti-social behaviour, change can happen.

"It is essential the extension of this model is replicated across the country to address the needs of the hardest to reach and the most vulnerable if we want to truly break long term cycles of anti-social behaviour."

The projects also saw the number of five to 15-year-old children with education problems, such as truancy and bad behaviour, decline from 37% to 21%.

Poor parenting was reduced from 60% to 32%, families with domestic violence issues were down from 26% to 8%, and families with child protection issues halved from 21% to 10%.

The number of families facing the possibility of eviction was down from 60% to 18%.

Baroness Andrews, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Communities and Local Government, said: "We welcome publication of this encouraging research. Communities and Local Government continue to actively support the valuable work that FIPs do with some of the most challenging families.

"It is testimony to their efforts that so early on in their development they are already making a huge difference in turning lives around and protecting communities from the ravages of serious anti-social behaviour."

The research was commissioned by the Respect Taskforce and Communities and Local Government (CLG) and carried out by the National Centre for Social Research.

In March, Department for Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls recommended early intervention to stop bad behaviour spiralling out of control, and announced £218 million towards the scheme.

"Recognising these problems doesn't condone bad behaviour - nor is it a soft option," he said.