National evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015 to 2020

The latest in a series of reports outlining findings from the evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015 to 2020.

As part of the National Evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) commissioned Ipsos to undertake large-scale research into the experiences of families and staff of the programme. The evaluation is running between 2015 and 2020 and is made up of a series of components.

The report published today is based on a longitudinal follow-up survey of families in receipt of help from the Troubled Families Programme in 19 local authorities, providing a picture of families’ lives and feedback on the keyworker experience. It presents findings from a cohort of 654 main carers and 307 young people who were interviewed in 2015/16 as they were starting on the programme and again around two years later, in 2017/8, looking at how their attitudes and circumstances may have changed over this time.

The family survey paints a rich picture of families lives and provides further evidence that they have multiple complex needs. It shows a number of positive trends but some negative too, although it is important to note it cannot tell us about the impact of the programme.

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