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Post by nickd on Dec 16, 2011 13:57:13 GMT 1
In what seems to be a bit of a u turn to the reaction to the August riots, the prime minister is today talking of tackling the problems by re-jigging existing finances to help troubled families...
Read more...Troubleshooters to be sent in to help problem families David Cameron is to announce a £448m plan to identify and get help to the most troubled families in England. A network of "troubleshooters" will be given responsibility for locating and co-ordinating help for families facing multiple challenges such as addiction, crime, poor health and unemployment. Mr Cameron will call for "leadership at the top, action in councils and results on the ground" to tackle the problem. The government wants to turn around the lives of 120,000 families by 2015. Apparently this gets announced in more detail later today. The word is charities and organisations are set to question the move when their funds have been cut so dramatically. It's worth listening out for more. I'm not getting too excited; - it'll probably have all manner of strings attached to it and be directed at even more publicly funded private initiatives; - can but wait and see.
See link.. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16187500
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Post by nickd on Dec 16, 2011 13:57:32 GMT 1
Here we all are reading story after story about cutting advice services, and our Prime Minister reminds us all about the importance of what he calls 'social recovery'.I won't bore you with his full speech, you'll get the gist of what's to come from how he kicks it off in his speech from No.10 'Troubled families speech'
Thursday 15 December 2011 "We need a social recovery in Britain every bit as much as we need an economic one"
Since this coalition was formed, a lot of our energies have been directed at strengthening our economy – and rightly so.
But as I have always argued, we need a social recovery in Britain every bit as much as we need an economic one.
So while the government’s immediate duty is to deal with the budget deficit…
….my mission in politics – the thing I am really passionate about – is fixing the responsibility deficitA fair few are saying the devil will be in the detail on this one. It's a part brainchild with Pickles and requires match funding from increasingly cash strapped local councils. Call me a cynic (I am, so I'm not offended if you do!) but what's the guessing that when you look behind all the charity backing boards used in the promotions, it'll all come down to more publicly funded private 'payment by results' contracts. Now we all know how this works. Some good willing family worker (could well be a volunteer on a Work programme or modestly paid employee of a sub contracted charity) will work tirelessly with the family for a while and then along comes someone more senior in the contract provider tick boxing hierarchy.. Out comes the clip board, boxes suitably ticked, nice little arrangement with the council not to issue any prohibition notices, police not arresting previously errant family (distinct lack of police helping a great deal) and bingo, a whole sheet full of boxes all saying something resoundingly positive with a concluding remark as to how well the family has been 'turned around'. Oh and off the provider goes in search of the fee. Yet another 'buy now pay later' example of using public money; - I thought the coalition was against borrowing their way out of debt! I'd love to know how many IOU's are being issues to all these providers? .. ... not to mention where they appear in all the public accounts! Just let's wait and see how this pans out folks!Read more, it's also covered in the Guardian.. www.number10.gov.uk/news/troubled-families-speech/
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Post by nickd on Dec 16, 2011 21:33:23 GMT 1
Have a listen to how Eric Pickles seems to struggle to give a straight answer when pressed by Eamonn Holmes on Sky over how well the troubled families scheme will work.
It gets fairly heated.....
As others have warned, the devil of this scheme is in the detail, it's generally where all of these schemes go wrong;- when there's a distinct lack of it.
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