The Troubled Families programme is an initiative that invites debate - the name, the limited criteria, setting targets, being 'turned around', sustaining outcomes, payment by results, the debate will continue as the programme is expanded, cost benefits are calculated and services are transformed. This collection of articles draws together a range of perspectives some more academic, others rooted in practical experience, each in its own way contributes to that debate. The riots of 2011 and the need to cut spending on Welfare may have been the drivers for this controversial programme but even for the more sceptical the benefit of skilled delivery of whole family interventions and the positive outcomes experienced by those families are well illustrated.
Jenny Spencer, Troubled Families Coordinator, Troubled Families Programme, Nottinghamshire County Council This book is a welcome and important contribution to the practice debate on what works for families in trouble. Outlining evidence of effectiveness in approaches to children on the edge of care offers a vital opportunity to intervene in "troublesome" families, achieving better outcomes for all. Clear, engaging and accessible, this book will help us all work more thoughtfully and usefully.
Honor Rhodes OBE, Author of How to Help Families in Trouble