Families at Risk Review
The Social Exclusion Task Force is leading a cross-Whitehall review on families at risk. Families at risk is a shorthand term for families with multiple and complex problems such as worklessness, poor mental health or substance misuse. The focus of the Review includes those who already have complex and ongoing problems as well as those who are at risk of developing them. The Review aims to improve outcomes for families at risk, and in particular to reduce the impacts of parental problems on children's life chances.
The interim analysis report, Reaching Out: Think Family was published in June 2007 and provided a rigorous analysis of who we mean by families at risk. It highlighted innovative practice and assessed the effectiveness of existing services and systems. It showed that often, families are not getting the most effective support – and that when parents face difficulties in their own lives, the impact for both themselves and for their children can be severe and enduring.
The second report, Think Family: Improving the Life Chances of Families at Risk sets out a vision for a local system that improves the life chances of families at risk and helps to break the cycle of disadvantage. It outlines the key characteristics of a system that thinks family at all levels, from governance to the frontline.
Families at Risk Review publications:
More information:
