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Researching Reform

Researching Reform

Daily Archives: February 29, 2016

‘Troubled Families Programme Is A Scam That “Coerces” Families To Engage.’

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform, social services

≈ 14 Comments

A frontline social worker involved with The Troubled Families Programme has branded the project a scam, which has dishonestly based its success off the back of other agencies’ hard work and coerces families to engage, providing a constant revenue stream that benefits local government.

We are not surprised by this development. Back in 2012 we expressed our concern, along with others, about the criteria being used to ‘detect’ or label Troubled Families. We didn’t, and don’t, care much for the term itself either, but what was so astonishing was that the government was prepared to identify families in distress using what can only be described as irrational criteria. In its initial phase, social work professionals would need to ‘tick off’ at least five of the seven criteria present. In 2016, this checklist appears to have shrunk (the whistleblowing social worker in the piece above tells us that there are now six elements to the check list, and only two elements now need to be identified before you’re officially In Trouble).

The social worker makes several observations about the Programme:

  • There appears to be no qualitative evidence that the Troubled Families programme is actually responsible for ‘turning around’ the families it comes into contact with.
  • Many families are assessed based on information which is between one to four years old. Most have therefore resolved their issues with the help of other organisations or through their own accord.
  • As a result, those involved in the Project’s management are just mapping this progress and not actually contributing to outcomes, at all.
  • Much of the basis for the ‘independent evaluation’ of the Troubled Families programme is done on cases which have been labelled high risk. This means they will be dealt with by a ‘flagship’ Troubled Families team, which has a smaller case load and so able to meet with the family a number of times a week. This practice is therefore financially unsustainable if applied to the programme at large, but it is used as the basis for evaluation of the entire programme.
  • The programme is also being used to fill the hole created by cuts in local government funding. Refusal to engage in the programme is therefore not accepted by Troubled Families process managers, so staff use ‘creative’ tactics to make up the numbers. This has led to the coercion and harassment of families, who are being subjected to a ‘hard sell’.
  • All of this has created a culture of unethical practices which sees staff dishonestly reclassifying cases so they ‘fit’ into the programme.

These are hugely concerning sentiments and ones which we should take seriously.

Will an independent body investigate the claims?

A very big thank you to the stellar Tracey McMahon over at SHE for alerting us to this piece.

Troubled_Families_progress_to_May_2014_-_final_-_960x640_

 

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Report: 40,000 Carers Are Aged 8 or Under

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Natasha in Question It, Researching Reform

≈ 3 Comments

Welcome to another week.

A new report published by charity Carers Trust suggests that at least 40,000 carers in the UK are aged eight or under.

The damning report highlights the way in which young carers are being ignored by government, leading to these children having to shoulder responsibilities which are leaving them with mental health difficulties and denying them their childhoods.

A summary of the charity’s recommendations is added below:

1. NHS England should issue guidance for services, clinical commissioning groups
and commissioners of specialist services on improving young carers’ access to
services and outcomes.
2. Local authority commissioners should increase the sustainability and stability of
young carers services and support partnership working between young carers
services and mental health services.
3. Government policies and commissioning guidance on children and young
people’s mental health should include measures to improve young carers’
mental health.
4. The NHS England assurance programme for Local Transformation Plans should
examine whether the plans include measures to improve young carers’ mental
health.
5. The upcoming Government Carers Strategy should include measures to promote
young carers’ mental health and improve their access to mental health support.
6. Health and care professional bodies should increase awareness of young carers
amongst health and care staff so that young carers are identified and are given
access to appropriate support.
7. The Department for Education should assist with the development of improved
support in schools for young carers, for example, schools’ participation in the
Young Carers in Schools programme.
8. The national mental health survey of young people should include questions
about caring roles.
9. CAMHS should collect data on whether the children and young people receiving
services have a caring role and whether young carers are referred to the local
authority for a young carer’s assessment.
10. National and local government should ensure that they meet their duties to
support young carers under the Children and Families Act 2014 and Care Act
2014.
11. All mental health trusts should implement the Triangle of Care for Young Carers
and Young Adult Carers to make sure information and support is given to young
carers.

The Children’s Society also recently published a report on young carers which bolsters the Carers Trust’s own findings.

Our question then, is just this: what would you like the government to do to help these children?

child carer

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