Family values

The same applies to plans that will see Ministers and government advisors become “family champions” under a scheme that has been drawn up by Emma Harrison, the Sheffield social entrepreneur. She wants better off families to help the needy with financial planning and so forth.

It’s a noble objective – even though some Ministers named as participants appeared to be unaware of their new-found mentoring obligations when questioned yesterday. Yet, while it would be premature to dismiss this approach as a gimmick, the problem remains the same: will families from disadvantaged backgrounds be prepared to accept advice from MPs? And, given the number of broken homes in this country, are there enough mentors to go round?

Ms Harrison, whose A4e organisation manages of £300m of government training contracts, is right when she says this exercise will help to better inform Ministers about the difficulties facing those who are unemployed.

What might be even more beneficial, however, is a return to civic values of neighbourliness when communities pulled together – and helped each other out. And, while this notion has merit, the problem is that many “broken homes” are congregated together. As such, the mentoring approach should be regarded as just one element of a far wider social reform package.