Expanded Troubled Families Programme - Early Starters
Richmond Borough has been confirmed as one of 51 local areas eligible to start delivering the
expanded Troubled Families programme (known as the Strengthening Families Programme
Richmond) early. The Department for Communities and Local Government will be working closely
with the early starters to develop Phase 2 of the programme, ensuring that there is a clear operating
model in place for reaching and supporting nationally 400,000 new families over five years.
The remit of the new programme is much broader than the current one and has been expanded to
include parents and/or children that are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
involved in crime or antisocial behaviour;
not attending school regularly;
in need of help at a young age or considered ‘as a child in need’;
out of work;
affected by domestic violence or
affected by a range of health problems.
Early starters will be expected to work closely with government, local partners and the voluntary
sector and demonstrate how they are supporting families to turn their lives around; a payment by
results approach will be employed for families that demonstrate tangible improvements. This new
programme provides an opportunity for Achieving for Children to demonstrate its early help
approach nationally and share how it can make a difference to families most in need.
The approach for Phase 2 is currently in development and Achieving for Children would like to seek
the involvement of the voluntary and community sector in both the identification of the families
most in need of support and the design of the delivery model. A Steering Group to oversee how
support to families is given and to ensure that partners are working together to ensure progress is
made is currently being set up; voluntary representation on this group would be welcome.
Representatives from the Strengthening Families Project Group will also attend voluntary sector
network meetings to gain a greater understanding of the issues and are also available to speak with
individual organisations about their possible involvement in the project, just drop a line to Suzanne
Payne (details below) or Keval Shah, Strengthening Families Coordinator at
keval.shah@achievingforchildren.org.uk an email.
Finally, we would be grateful if organisations interested in shaping the programme would complete a
short survey (attached) and return it to Suzanne Payne, Head of Strategy and Programmes at
suzanne.payne@achievingforchildren.org.uk by 12 January 2015.
www.achievingforchildren.org.uk
Voluntary Sector Survey on the Strengthening Families Programme Phase 2
Name of organisation
Contact name
Contact details
Short summary of organisation and interest in the Strengthening Families Programme
What are the three
main issues of
concern of families
you work with?
e.g. domestic abuse,
emotional wellbeing,
financial hardship,
young people’s
behaviour
What gaps are there
in service provision?
e.g. lack of mental
health support, little
support back into
employment
What key issue would
you use to prioritise
families onto the
programme?
Parents who have reported misusing alcohol and drugs
Parents who have been recorded with mental health/emotional wellbeing concerns
Parents who have been recorded as victims of domestic violence
Please tick one box
Adults in the household who are claiming out-of-work benefits
Children who have been diagnosed with Autism or ADHD
Other, please state below
Would you like to be
No
involved in the
development and
Yes, information only
implementation of the
programme?
Yes, and I would like to attend the next partnership event at the end of February 2015
Please tick all boxes
that apply
Yes, I would like to be part of the Steering Group
Other, please state below
Please return this survey to Suzanne Payne, Head of Strategy and Programmes at
suzanne.payne@achievingforchildren.org.uk by 12 January 2015