West Midlands councils receive £24m to support vulnerable families

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced that councils across England will receive a share of the £200 million package in 2022/2023 to support vulnerable families in their communities.

More than 8,000 vulnerable families across the region will receive tailored support and interventions through government investment in the flagship supporting families programme.

From the money allocated to the West Midlands, Wolverhampton will benefit from £1.41m, Walsall receive £1,45m, Sandwell £1.85m, Dudley £1.3m, Staffordshire £2.26m, and Birmingham £6.95m.

Working jointly with the Department for Education, the extra money will help local areas tackle the challenges that vulnerable families face including those that put them at risk of neglect or harm.

Dedicated key workers will help every member of the family and bring local services together to resolve issues at an early stage before they develop into more significant problems.

Families will be supported to leave abusive relationships, receive joined-up support for mental health issues and help people find work.

More than 470,000 families have been supported to build a brighter future since the programme was launched in 2015 and now councils will be able to support even more families combat problems.

Minister for Levelling up Communities Kemi Badenoch said: “As a society we must help the most vulnerable in our communities and the government is focused on giving families the support they need to build a better future.

“Our supporting families programme in the West Midlands plays an integral role as we recover from the pandemic, making sure children get back to school, helping those who have lost their jobs get back into work, protecting people’s mental health and stopping domestic abuse.”

To date up to £1.2 billion has been invested in the programme since 2012.

Evidence shows the whole family approach taken through supporting families could prevent children in vulnerable families from ending up in the care system, reduce the likelihood of involvement in crime and support families back towards work and more fulfilling lives.

It also found that the proportion of adults receiving custodial sentences had decreased by a quarter; under 18s receiving custodial sentences had decreased by almost 40 per cent; and the proportion of adults on the programme claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance had decreased by 11 per cent.

The supporting families programme costs the taxpayer less in the long run – by preventing issues before they become more serious.