'Families from hell' care call

Home Office official Louise Casey said a small number of the worst families in the country were causing "phenomenal" problems by letting their kids run riot.

She called for entire families to be placed in residential care to make them behave better.

That would enable Government agencies to give them better support as well as tough controls.

Some of the worst parents were "deliberately choosing not to cope" with their children, she said.

Ms Casey told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee: ""You have got to crack down on the very small number of absolutely problematic families that cause the most havoc in communities.

"The average amount of money we are already spending on these families...is between 250,000 and 330,000 a year."