Troubled Families Programme

Lord Bishop of St Albans Excerpts

Monday 12th September 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

I am not at all sure. I am afraid I cannot advise the House as to how the leak occurred.

[The Lord Bishop of St Albans]

My Lords, one of the successes of this programme, which I have seen in a number of places, has been to try to get proper co-ordination. With so many different silos addressing this and so many resources going to a limited number of families, one success has been the way that progress has been made by bringing real focus and integration. Can the Minister assure us that that lesson has been learned and that we will continue to see how we can get movement on this relatively small but very problematic and difficult group, and find the way forward?

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, the right reverend Prelate is right about the dangers of silo working. We have sought to obliviate that programme by broadening the criteria. In relation to the number of families being assisted, it is the aim of the second programme that by the end of this Parliament 400,000 additional families—on top of those in the first programme—will have been helped. In the first year, we have so far helped 145,000 families.