To consider the progress made in delivering the Families First Programme and to remove it from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee reporting cycle.  

59.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 58-62, which set out the progress made in delivering the Families First programme.  Members were asked to consider the update and to agree to remove this from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee reporting cycle.

59.2           Members were advised that Families First Plus, formerly Families First, was the local name for the national Troubled Families programme.  It had been introduced in 2013 as a three year programme aimed at turning around the lives of the estimated 120,000 troubled families in the country with the three main criteria being adults on out of work benefit; children not attending school; and family members involved in crime and anti-social behaviour.  There was an agreement that an estimated 900 families would be worked with in Gloucestershire 10% of which, i.e. 90 families, were within Tewkesbury Borough.  The programme had proven to be a great success with the target for the first phase to engage with 90 families reached a year early in March 2015.  Due to the success of the programme in Gloucestershire, the County had been chosen as an ‘early adopter’ for the next phase of the programme which had widened the criteria to include parents and children involved in anti-social behaviour; children who had not been attending school regularly; children who needed help; adults out of work or at risk of financial exclusion and young people at risk of ‘worklessness’; families affected by domestic violence or abuse; and parents and children with a range of health issues including mental health issues. 

59.3           In terms of the outcomes of the programme, it was noted that there had been some negative articles in the press recently which had suggested that the programme had not been as successful as it was meant to be.  Gloucestershire County Council had conducted a survey of the families who had been involved in the programme and had found that they generally felt more supported and confident, particularly in relation to financial matters.  95% of families had indicated that they valued an assertive and challenging approach as it encouraged them to do things for themselves.  During the second phase, Gloucestershire had been working to target 3,000 families over five years; the target for the first year was 540 claims across all localities, 55 of which were within Tewkesbury Borough.  The programme had changed the way public sector organisations worked together, i.e. taking a joint approach as opposed to single agencies each doing their bit, and the Public Services Centre had played a key part in that.  Families First Plus had now been adopted as ‘business as usual’ by Gloucestershire County Council and the principles and ways of working were embedded into its system.  As a result, the Community Development Officer indicated that he no longer had any direct involvement in the programme and it had been removed from the new Council Plan.  It was therefore recommended that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee no longer needed to monitor the programme on a six monthly basis and it was proposed that it be removed from the Work Programme.  It was noted that the County Council had recently put together a briefing note in respect of the Families First Plus programme and he undertook to circulate this to Members following the meeting.

59.4           A Member noted that 90 families within Tewkesbury Borough had been involved in phase one of the programme and she questioned whether some of those were still being worked with, or whether the 55 families introduced for the second phase were completely new.  The Community Development Officer explained that some families inevitably came back into the system although it was difficult to know how many, particularly as some children came back as adults.  He confirmed that the 55 families in phase two were all new families which had been picked up due to the wider scope.  The Member went on to question whether the initial contact was made by the individual families or by the Families First Plus team and she was advised that they came to the attention of the team via referrals from a wide range of partners.  There was an allocations group which looked at each case and allocated a key worker to the particular family.  The Member felt that some great work was being done through the programme and it would be a shame if progress reports were no longer shared with the Committee.  In response, the Community Development Manager advised that there were alternative ways of reporting the success of the programme, for instance, he would be happy to circulate Member Updates as and when necessary.  The County Council was able to provide a breakdown by Parish and he could ask for that information if Members so wished.  Several Members expressed the view that it would be beneficial for the Committee to be kept informed and it was suggested that an update could continue to be provided on an annual basis.

59.5           In response to a query regarding funding, Members were advised that no money was received by the Borough Council; Families First Plus was a Gloucestershire County Council programme and the payment-by-results money went directly to the County Council.  The money was used to support the teams locally and to fund the allocations budget.

59.6           Having considered the information provided, it was

RESOLVED          1.   That the progress made in delivering the Families First programme be NOTED.

2.  That reports continue to be brought to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee but on an annual, as opposed to six monthly, basis.