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Cllr Colin Barrow |
‘Radical shakeup’ in tackling deprivation
COUNCIL leader Colin Barrow has called for a radical shakeup of the way local authorities tackle deprivation.
In a speech made at a conference organised by local government
think-tank Localis, Cllr Barrow said the public sector was in need of a “fundamental rethink” if it was going to rescue so-called “problem families” from the vicious cycle of poverty, unemployment and drug abuse.
Under the council’s new Family Recovery Programme, 600 families will work together with a range of health care professionals and members of the police force and the Westminster Primary Care Trust.
The families selected have been identified as costing the taxpayer a disproportionate amount of money.
A small multi-disciplinary team will be assigned to each family to decide on a plan of care, which will reflect the needs of both the family members and the wider community.
Cllr Barrow said: “Families will no longer be passed from pillar to post across various public sector organisations and departments, with new files opened for every incident of anti-social behaviour, every suspension from school, and health intervention.
“The wealth and breadth of experience and support given to each family means that we will be able to make the right decisions, using the right approach with the right organisations at the right time for each and every family within the scheme. We are offering vulnerable families public respect as long as they take personal responsibility for their actions.
Families who take part in the scheme will receive intensive help but will be required to sign an agreement setting out their responsibilities and potential consequences of refusing support – including eviction, Asbos and in some cases criminal prosecution.
Cllr Barrow added: “In the past, it has been too easy to brush these families under the carpet and just accept the inevitability of their circumstances.” |
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