Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government released today (Monday 25 November, 2013) showed that midway into the 3 year scheme, agencies in Wolverhampton are working with 361 families through the city's Families in Focus programme.
And more than 50 have been successfully "turned around", with children back in school, levels of youth crime and anti social behaviour cut and adults from some of the hardest to help households now either in work or on the path back to employment.
Troubled families are defined as those who are involved in youth crime or anti social behaviour, have children who are regularly truanting and have an adult on out of work benefits.
In total, more than 450 families have been identified by Wolverhampton City Council as requiring the help and support of the troubled families programme, and the city is on track to reach its target of helping more than 800 families by 2015.
More than 20 agencies, including the city council, housing associations, JobCentre Plus, the police, health services and voluntary and community sector organisations, are working with families. Sarah Norman, Wolverhampton City Council's Strategic Director for Community, said: "I'm really pleased with the way that agencies across Wolverhampton have come together through our Families in Focus programme to offer help and support to some of our most under pressure families.
"We're already starting to see impressive results, with children going back to school, anti social behaviour falling and parents getting back to work - indeed in one family, 4 adults have either found work or training as a result of the support they have received through the programme.
"We are on track to identify and support more than 800 families by the end of the government's 3 year programme, and we've worked hard to put a framework in place which has embedded this new way of working into our processes - meaning we'll be well placed to continue this work from 2015 onwards."
Secretary of State for Local Government Eric Pickles said: "I am delighted that across the country our programme is already helping half of our target of 120,000 troubled families at its midway stage and Wolverhampton City Council has turned around 51.
"These are families that have often had problems and created serious issues in their communities for generations. And these results show that these problems can be dealt with through a no nonsense and common sense approach, bringing down costs to the taxpayer at the same time."
Head of the national Troubled Families programme Louise Casey CB said: "This programme is getting to grips with families who for too long have been allowed to be caught up in a cycle of despair. These results show that a tough, intensive but supportive approach has a big impact; giving hope and opportunity to the families and respite to the communities around them."
- released: Monday 25 November, 2013