Intensive support for families - pilot programme

A new and more co-ordinated approach to supporting local families with a variety of difering needs is to be piloted in the Royal Borough.

Cabinet last night (Thursday) approved the setting up of a two-year pilot programme to be funded from the government's Community Budget initiative at a proposed cost of £150,000 for a team of four key workers.

The new programme will provide multi-agency support to the small number of Royal Borough families with multiple and complex problems to enable the families to improve their lifestyles and sustain that improvement in the longer term.

In the coming months the Council will begin to work with a variety of partners from the police, health, housing, the probation service and Jobcentre Plus among others to establish the pilot team and identify the first 12 families to be involved in the scheme.

Cllr David Burbage, Leader of the Council, said: "In the past families with multiple and complex problems have been helped by a number of different agencies working independently which has not always provided the best solutions to their individual needs.

"By bringing all these agencies together into one team we will hopefully provide much more efficient and targeted support and work with the families to empower them to improve their lifestyles.

"We will now be seeking a firm commitment from a range of partner organisations to implement this programme which will potentially have great benefits for the families involved."

Cllr Eileen Quick, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "This is a very exciting new approach to providing more effective help and support for some of our most vulnerable families.

"By involving children and young people in decisions about lifestyle through this new programme we will be going a long way to safeguarding their health and well-being and potentially improving their future prospects."

Each family will have a key worker who will work closely with all family members to help them make more effective choices and decisions to help address their lifestyle needs.

The pilot programme will be implemented in the New Year.

For further information contact David Scott, Head of Services for Families and Young People, on 01628 796748.

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