“Families from hell” are to be given intensive family support, the government has announced.
Children’s charities NCH and the Family Welfare Association will be involved in a scheme to rehabilitate families where parents and children are causing problems through anti-social behaviour.
Each of the 50 designated “Together” areas for action against anti-social behaviour will receive £25,000 to spend on intensive family support - £1.25 million in total. Family support is already being offered in the ten trailblazer areas in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Camden, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.
A Home Office review of the most difficult nuisance neighbour
cases found that in more than two thirds of the cases both parents
and children were involved. Half the cases involved threatening and
intimidating behaviour. The rest most commonly involved criminal
behaviour, noise, criminal damage and violence towards
others.
Mental health problems were an issue for 29 per cent of the
families. A quarter of the families had already been evicted at
least once.
Behaviour changed as a result of legal action including eviction in 39 per cent of cases.
