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When we talk about nuisance neighbours we don't mean someone who annoys us by popping round for a cup of sugar at midnight. Families whose behaviour is deemed "antisocial" are typically aggressive towards their neighbours, have children apparently out of control, and make a lot of noise. And antisocial neighbours dubbed by the government and the tabloids as "families from hell" can have a devastating impact their neighbours.

A Home Office survey of the first 100 cases seen by the neighbour nuisance expert panel established in February 2004, found that more than two-thirds of neighbour nuisances were caused by families. Half were lone parents and half couples with children. Half the cases involved threatening and intimidating behaviour, and much of it was alcohol and drug-related, with noise, criminal activity, criminal damage and violence the most common complaints. In 38 per cent of the families, children were not attending school regularly, or at all.

One or two troublesome families can make the neighbours' lives miserable, but there are legal remedies when the nuisance reaches that level.

Antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos), acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) and the threat of eviction are the most commonly used lines of defence. Asbos, which were introduced in 1998, are civil orders made by a court for a minimum of two years. They prohibit people from acts likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to their neighbours, and from entering defined areas.

ABCs are theoretically voluntary agreements between individuals and the local police, the housing department, registered social landlord, or school. They are often offered as an alternative to prosecution, eviction or school exclusion and are used to encourage young adults, children, and parents to take responsibility for bad behaviour. ABCs are intended to tackle harassment, graffiti, criminal damage and verbal abuse.

From the point of view of children, eviction only compounds family difficulties, and the government has now acknowledged that families who cause most trouble to other people are often those with the most severe problems of their own. In February the government announced £1.25m funding, to be split between 50 new action areas signed up to its Together campaign, to provide intensive parenting programmes. The money - £25,000 for each area - won't go far. But it may stimulate voluntary sector organisations and others to develop interventions which offer more to troubled and troublesome children than an Asbo.

The Dundee Experience 

The NCH Dundee Families Project was established in 1996 to tackle the root causes of neighbour nuisance, when it became clear that eviction was counter-productive. Since then it has worked directly with 250 families. It provides three main support services to families: via outreach, residence in a "core block", and in dispersed tenancies.

Gill Strachan, service manager of the Dundee Families Projects, outlines a typical therapeutic intervention.

 "The first step is a thorough assessment over four to six days, examining family dynamics, relationships, the family's functioning internally and externally, substance misuse and issues around loss and separation. We ask about their parenting experience and how it has impacted on their own," says Gill.

Following the assessment, project staff join a wide variety of agency workers to draw up a detailed support plan, with specific tasks and interventions.

They work intensively on behaviour patterns on a one-to-one, family or group basis. They teach anger management and parent skills, and cover basic cooking, budgeting and the health and welfare needs of the children. Workshops focus on issues such as managing a tenancy, living in the community, and how to live with neighbours. The children have sessions that examine schooling issues, acceptable behaviour, and roles and responsibilities in the family.

"A lot of our families are affected by alcohol or substance misuse and we set a clear expectation that they are working towards - or are on - a reduction programme, with very detailed goals and targets.

"Some families move on fairly quickly, but others have such long-standing problems they need help for many years. Glasgow University, which published research into the project in 2001, found that  two thirds of the cases were successful, while one fifth did not meet the expected targets and one tenth of families refused to engage with it. 

Detailed estimates suggested that the project saved Dundee City Council £117,600 a year because of the decrease in tenant evictions and because fewer children were taken into care.   

Facts from the Families Project 

• About two thirds of households were lone parents.
• Nearly all families were reliant on benefits. <E0DC> 70% of adults had drug/alcohol problems.
• Over 50% of adults had criminal records.
• Almost half the children showed evidence of neglect.
• More than half the women had suffered domestic violence.