Struggling families ‘resistant’ to offers of help says council

Bradford Council and other agencies are taking part in a Government scheme which aims to identify 1,500 families with “complex needs” which can include school exclusions, repeated involvement with the police and benefit dependency.

A report to the council reveals that, to date, 281 Bradford families have responded well to help which has reduced anti-social behaviour, youth crime and improved school attendance.

But managers with the project, called Families First, have reported that some families are reluctant to take part.

Project manager Paul O’Hara said: “One of the early findings from Families First in Bradford is that support and advice is available to the families but isn’t effective because parents don’t accept.

“They can be reluctant, resistant, have poor prior experiences of the service or are not coping due to being overwhelmed with the challenges and pressures of daily living. This has a detrimental impact on the whole family and they then act as a poor role model for their children both in the short and long-term relationships with agencies.”

A council spokesman added that “some families are reluctant to engage but most welcome the support and help that is offered”.

In 2012/13 the council and its partners worked with 500 families. Of those, 281 families – 1,322 individuals including children – met certain targets.

These targets were:

For 40 families where anti-social behaviour was a problem, this was reduced by 60 per cent in six months.

For 141 families where youth crime was a problem, a reduction of a third was reported.

Improved attendance at school was noted for children in 168 families.

Because it is a ‘payment by results’ scheme, the council can claim Government money to continue funding the project. The first claim will bring in £163,800 and the successful work with the 281 families is estimated to have saved the taxpayer almost £4m a year. The report claims the project was not in a position to claim back anything on the key target of getting people into training or work.

A council spokesman said evidence was being gathered ahead of a claim on this criteria.

“Two of the payment by results are entry into training and work. This is part of a new initiative with the JobCentre Plus who have seconded staff into the programme. They are involved in gathering the evidence to submit a claim against this criteria.

“The families need to be in work/training for six months. Therefore Bradford will be able to evidence families where this has been achieved in the claim in October 2013.”

The project will be discussed by councillors on the children’s services scrutiny committee which meets on Tuesday next week.

The committee’s deputy chairman, Coun Dale Smith, said: “I think it’s an exciting project, a way to deal with difficult challenges. Early intervention is going to save a great deal of money which would have to be spent down the line. It is so important that children are given the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”

Coun Smith now wants to know more about the project’s long-term viability.

The report quotes anonymous families on the scheme. One said: “I have been given the confidence to apply and get myself a part-time job which would never have happened before Families First.”

Families from 30 council wards are involved, with the greatest concentrations in Tong, Keighley West and Eccleshill.