Family problems linked across the generations

In many households violence is endemic and “entrenched cycles of suffering problems and causing problems” poison whole social networks.

The stark assessment came from David Cameron’s troubled families tsar Louise Casey – who has the job of turning round the lives of the 120,000 most dysfunctional by 2015.

Ms Casey conducted more than a dozen in-depth interviews to compile her report on the challenge the Government faces.

She found experiences were often passed from generation to generation, such as domestic and sexual abuse, teenage pregnancies, police call-outs and educational failure.

“The prevalence of child sexual and physical abuse and sometimes child rape was striking and shocking,” the report said.

“It became clear that in many of these families the abuse of children by in many cases parents, siblings, half-siblings and extended family and friends was a factor in their dysfunction.

“Some discussed it as if as it was almost expected.”

Other common themes included people having children very young, and large numbers of them.

The report backed tackling the inter-linked issues of a whole family, rather than dealing with single problems or single individuals.

The programme’s £448m three-year budget is drawn from across seven departments.