THOUSANDS more families who are struggling with issues including violence in the home are set to be helped by a programme which has won national recognition.

An independent evaluation of Hampshire County Council’s Supporting Troubled Families Programme has found that the programme has led to a number of positive outcomes including a reduction in the likelihood of children being taken into care, improved school attendance rates along with savings to the public purse of more than £2m.

The outcomes were presented by Professor Carol Hayden of Portsmouth University, at a meeting attended by Joe Tuke, national director for the Troubled Families Programme at the Department of Communities & Local Government.

Due to its success the scheme is being extended to 1,200 more families each year up to 2020, in addition to the nearly 2,000 which were helped during the first phase of the project.

Hampshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Keith Mans, who chairs the Supporting Troubled Families Strategic Group, said: “It is encouraging to see that the independent evaluation both highlights and emphasises the success of the Programme to date. We know that, one year on, four out of five of those families that we claimed a positive outcome for in May 2014, still have: improved school attendance for their children; reduced school exclusions, youth offending or anti social behaviour; and are remaining in work or training and no longer claiming an out of work benefit.”

Among the findings of the independent evaluation, Hampshire’s programme has achieved: - Substantial reductions in the prevalence of families with a child persistently absent from school - Reduced likelihood of children needing to be taken in to care or becoming an open case to Children’s Social Services - Avoidance of costs to the public purse of £2.4m per annum - Increased confidence among professionals in working with the whole family - Increased partnership working and inter-agency co-ordination and co-operation The evaluation also found that families appreciated the family centred approach and the personal qualities and enthusiasm of staff working with them.

Cllr Mans added: “Professor Hayden’s evaluation is an independent endorsement of the good work we are doing and follows recognition from Ofsted who has said that Hampshire’s Programme is particularly well targeted and responsive to the needs of local families, with good take-up by those families who are most in need.”

Hampshire’s Supporting Troubled Families Programme exceeded its first phase goal to identify and engage 1590 families – identifying nearer to 2000 families.

The success of phase one meant that the programme was able to commence phase two, three months ahead of schedule.

The next phase of the programme aims to engage with a further 1,200 Hampshire families in 2015/16 and each year thereafter, up to 2020, including those where violence in the home and mental and physical health issues are a feature.

Families who are most at risk of eviction, or who are struggling financially will also be supported.