troubled families

Our report arguing that claims of success for the Troubled Families Programme were ‘too good to be true’ was cited this morning on the Radio Four Today programme.

The programme also heard from Professor Jonathan Portes, formerly of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR), who said the controversial Programme had in effect been abandoned.

While at NIESR, Professor Portes was part of team that evaluated the Programme. They found that 'participation in the programme had no significant or systemic impact' on the families.

The publication by the influential House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of a report into the Troubled Families Programme is 'a complete dressing down' for the Government, the Centre's Deputy Director has said.

His comments came in advance of a summit the Centre is holding next month to assess the purpose and impact of the controversial Troubled Families programme.

The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies announced today that it will be holding an event to discuss the origins, evaluation and prospects for the government’s Troubled Families programme on Friday 20 January 2017 in central London.

The announcement by the influential  House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of an inquiry into the Troubled Families Programme has been welcomed by the Centre.

The announcement follows media reports that an independent evaluation concluded that the programme has had 'no discernible' effect on unemployment, truancy or law-breaking.

Commenting on the leak of the independent Troubles Families evaluation, described as ‘damning’ of the project by a senior civil servant, our Deputy Director, Will McMahon, said:

‘It is no surprise that the government has done its level best to sit on the findings of the independent evaluation. With £400 million spent and another £900 million in the budget, the Troubled Families programme is a huge waste of public money.’

Theresa May has announced that Police and Crime Commissioners should have the power to set up free schools for 'troubled children', The Guardian reports. 

The Home Secretary said these free schools should 'support troubled children and prevent them falling into a life of crime'.

Today’s Guardian quotes Jonathan Portes of the National Institute of Social and Economic Research in its coverage of our report on the Troubled Families Programme:

He told the paper: