BACK TO NEWSChildren and Young People Now have reported that the government’s flagship programme to support disadvantaged families is to be revamped to focus on specific issues around tackling abuse and homelessness.
Under the new plans the Supporting Families programme’s six headline criteria are to be expanded to include ten outcomes to measure specific challenges facing families, such as preventing domestic violence, child abuse and exploitation.
The outcomes have “been updated to reflect the current needs of families,”, according to the government, as it announced the first major update of the programme’s targets for eight years.
“It was important to focus on providing support to families where there are multiple risk factors and avoid some of the poorest outcomes for families such as family breakdown, children entering care, involvement in the criminal justice system and homelessness,” added the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which is overseeing the programme.
The updated ten outcomes, which come into effect from 3 October, this year are:
- Getting a good education
- Good early years development
- Improved mental and physical health
- Promoting recovery and reducing substance abuse
- Improved family relationships
- Protecting children from abuse and exploitation
- Preventing crime
- Protecting families from domestic abuse
- Secure housing
- Financial stability
