Troubled families begin to turn their lives around

Over half of the troubled families living in Rochdale have managed to turn their lives around in just over two years, according to the latest government statistics.

675 families living in the Rochdale area were identified as troubled in April 2012 and according to recent statistics, 363 of those families had managed to turn their lives around by May 2014.

Troubled families are defined as those who are involved in youth crime or anti-social behaviour, have children who are excluded from school or regularly truanting, have an adult on out-of-work benefits, and who cost the public sector large sums in responding to their problems, an estimated £75,000 per year per family without intervention.

To help turn around their lives children are put back into schools, youth crime and anti-social behaviour is cut across the whole family, adults are put back into work, and costs to the taxpayer are reduced by tackling the families problems.