About the Supporting Families Programme

About the Supporting Families Programme

Supporting Families is about working with the whole family, not just the children, or a single family member.

Families are often trying to deal with more than one problem at a time. This can make it difficult for families to get the right help and support. Although each family is different, many have issues relating to:

  • crime and anti-social behaviour
  • education, children not in school
  • worklessness, adults on out-of-work benefits
  • young people not in employment, education of training
  • problems with drugs and/or alcohol
  • physical or mental health problems
  • domestic violence and abuse
  • families at risk of homelessness or unmanaged debts
  • young children failing to thrive
  • unhealthy weight and/or malnutrition concerns

Each family will have a single family plan and a lead professional who will help co-ordinate support services, and who they can contact when they want to talk about things, or need further help.

For more information on how this works locally contact your local SRO/Coordinator

Supporting Families Programme is part of the National Troubled Families Programme
How the programme is working in Hampshire

The programme is currently delivered locally through eight Local Co-ordination Groups headed by a Senior Responsible Officer.

The Local Coordination Group in each area is responsible for coordinating, supporting and challenging local teams and agencies to identify and work with families.

The Supporting Families Programme Outcome Plan gives a clear overview of the six main family problems, the nomination criteria for each and the success measures required to achieve significant and sustained improvement.

To nominate to Supporting Families programme an Early Help/Supporting Families assessment form must be submitted by a professional to the local Early Help Hub.

What families can expect

At a local level, families in the programme can expect:

  • a dedicated point of contact
  • agencies working in a coordinated way to supporting the whole family
  • a single family plan

The family plan will set out clearly:

  • what the lead professional or lead agency will do
  • what the family will do
  • what the other agencies involved will do
The aim of the family plan

The aim of the plan is to:

  • help get children attending school regularly
  • help parents and young adults find work or training
  • lower levels of crime and anti-social behaviour
  • improve physical and mental health
  • reduce the number of domestic incidents
  • increase children’s health and development
  • help families to work better as a unit and be able to look after and support each other
  • join up the help and support from all the agencies involved

The length of time spent working with each family will vary depending on their needs, from a few months to up to a year and beyond.

Programme funding

Supporting Families Programme is Government funded with an attachment fee paid for each family and a reward grant paid upon successful outcomes.

The programme has been supported by significant resource contributions from Hampshire Constabulary, District Councils and Job Centre Plus. It is also part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) Police and Crime Plan 2017-21 and is a strategic priority for Public Health England (PHE).

Download the Supporting Families information leaflet.