Whoever thought that the novel "1984" would come true?

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5.56X45mm

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THOUSANDS of the worst families in England are to be put in “sin bins” in a bid to change their bad behaviour, Ed Balls announced yesterday.

The Children’s Secretary set out £400million plans to put 20,000 problem families under 24-hour CCTV super-vision in their own homes.

They will be monitored to ensure that children attend school, go to bed on time and eat proper meals.

Private security guards will also be sent round to carry out home checks, while parents will be given help to combat drug and alcohol addiction.

Around 2,000 families have gone through these Family Intervention Projects so far.

But ministers want to target 20,000 more in the next two years, with each costing between £5,000 and £20,000 – a potential total bill of £400million.

Ministers hope the move will reduce the number of youngsters who get drawn into crime because of their chaotic family lives, as portrayed in Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless.

Sin bin projects operate in half of council areas already but Mr Balls wants every local authority to fund them.

He said: “This is pretty tough and non-negotiable support for families to get to the root of the problem. There should be Family Intervention Projects in every local authority area because every area has families that need support.”

But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: “This is all much too little, much too late.

“This Government has been in power for more than a decade during which time anti-social behaviour, family breakdown and problems like alcohol abuse and truancy have just got worse and worse.”

Mr Balls also said responsible parents who make sure their children behave in school will get new rights to complain about those who allow their children to disrupt lessons.

Pupils and their families will have to sign behaviour contracts known as Home School Agreements before the start of every year, which will set out parents’ duties to ensure children behave and do their homework.

The updated Youth Crime Action Plan also called for a crackdown on violent girl gangs as well as drug and alcohol abuse among young women.

But a decision to give ministers new powers to intervene with failing local authority Youth Offending Teams was criticised by council leaders.

Les Lawrence, of the Local Government Association, said they did “crucial” work and such intervention was “completely unnecessary”.
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Wow, I made such a recommendation before but to be done by children services since they have so called 'qualifications' as child psychology is their strength but not just 'anybody' should be allowed to perform such projects. :? more people really got learn question strength of 'qualifications'. Wow.
 
Hmm, it has its ups and downs. I see what they are getting at, but I think that it would be much more simple to allow corporal punishment.

Nothing, and I have had experience with this on the receiving end, makes a kid shut up and behave than a good backhand to the head.
 
When I was a school boy in London during the 1950's and 1960's, all of our male teachers were ex military, and they brought military discipline into the class room. Quite frankly, we didnt stuff them around, if we did we would get 6 strokes of the cane.
 
Weird I read 1984 and completely missed the chapters where the government started dealing with delinquent families.

Still I guess there are those that think the government being involved in:
- helping some families break drug and alcohol problems.
- Getting some kids to school on time.
- Getting said kids better food and living conditions.
is a horrific idea, yet it intrigues me that these same people can support a government that covertly wiretaps you.

Go figure.
 
Cameras in the frakking HOME!

But it's okay.... the Nanny State shall raise your children! All hail the state!
 
MontyB said:
Weird I read 1984 and completely missed the chapters where the government started dealing with delinquent families.

Still I guess there are those that think the government being involved in:
- helping some families break drug and alcohol problems.
- Getting some kids to school on time.
- Getting said kids better food and living conditions.
is a horrific idea, yet it intrigues me that these same people can support a government that covertly wiretaps you.

Go figure.
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Putting cameras in someone's home against their will is not something I could accept, and I sure as hell don't like the fact that they're allowed to covertly wiretap Americans without a court order now.
 
Vey, very interesting post. I've read 1984 and am convinced it won't be fiction for much longer! It is happening before our eyes.
 
Zastava-Arms said:
Hmm, it has its ups and downs. I see what they are getting at, but I think that it would be much more simple to allow corporal punishment.

Nothing, and I have had experience with this on the receiving end, makes a kid shut up and behave than a good backhand to the head.
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I agree to a point, but I still think the cameras are unnecessary.
 
5.56X45mm said:
Cameras in the frakking HOME!

But it's okay.... the Nanny State shall raise your children! All hail the state!
Click to expand...

Now I don't expect you to read this but who knows maybe some has the desire to actually understand something before trying to turn it into a party political broadcast.

So without further ado...

What is a family intervention project?


Family Intervention Projects have developed out of the Government’s anti-social behaviour strategy which has focused on tackling anti-social behaviour such as neighbour nuisance. They have drawn on the pioneering work of the Dundee Families Project established by NCH in 1995.
In the past year the Government has worked with local authorities to establish over 50 family intervention projects across the country. Over time these projects will be able to assist around 1,500 families a year.
These are families that in the past agencies may have written off as ‘lost causes’ – but now will be offered the right help and incentive to become decent members of their community and give their children the opportunity to grow up with a chance in life.

What are family intervention projects?
Family intervention projects work to turn around the behaviour of families and reduce their impact on their community. In so doing, they also bring stability to families’ lives, prevent homelessness and improve opportunities for children. They combine intensive support with focused challenge – a twin track approach. For these projects, it is not a question of either/or - support and enforcement are systematically linked to provide families with the incentive to change.
While projects vary in the services they provide, they share key features which distinguish the family intervention project model.
The key worker is central to the projects. Their role is to manage or ‘grip’ the family’s problems, co-ordinate the delivery of services and using a combination of support and sanction to motivate the family to change their behaviour. Persistence and assertiveness with families is critical to keeping them engaged and following agreed steps.
If families start to disengage, services are stepped up and the key worker redoubles his/her efforts where mainstream services often withdraw. This comes as a shock to families who are often used to services pulling away and sends out a powerful signal to families that the service is not an optional extra.
A contract (also known as a behaviour support agreement) is drawn up between the family and key worker which sets out the changes that are expected, the support that will be provided in order to facilitate that change and the consequences if changes are not made, or tasks are not undertaken.
The use of sanctions is an important lever for motivating families to change. Demoting tenancies or gaining possession orders suspended on the basis of compliance with the projects or, for some, the very real prospect of children being taken into care, can provide the wake up call to take the help on offer. Too often these families have been told that action will be taken but is then not followed through, creating a sense among family members that they are untouchable.
These are intensely practical projects which focus on providing a structure for those living in chaotic circumstances – teaching parents basics such as how to get children up and fed in the morning, clearing up, preparing meals and bed time routines. Families are often learning these for the first time. Families report that their day to day skills such as cooking, hygiene and daily routines had often been taken for granted by other agencies.
Projects take a whole family approach which recognise the inter- connectedness between children’s and adults problems There are obvious links between a child’s behaviour in school and their relationships at home; links between a parent’s ability to get children to school and parent’s alcohol misuse; between offending by the father and a child getting drawn in to bad behaviour in the community.
Improving parenting skills is always a critical service. One in five children in existing projects are on the child protection register and over 80% of children are seen as being ‘in need’. There is strong evidence that parenting programmes can improve parenting skills and have lasting effects in reducing bad behaviour, even in cases where parents are initially reluctant to accept help.
Different interventions

There are three distinct levels of interventions which are used according to a family’s needs and the impact their behaviour is having on the community. Different levels of intervention may be used at different times as circumstances and behaviour change.
Most projects provide an outreach service for families who are responsible for anti-social behaviour in their home, and who are risk of being evicted. However, services can also be provided in units managed by the family intervention project but dispersed in the community.
At the most intensive level, families who require supervision and support on a 24 hour basis stay in a core residential unit. Upon satisfactory completion of a programme, the family can move into a managed property.
Do they work?

These schemes have impressive results – for more than four out of five (85%) families, complaints about anti-social behaviour ceased or reduced and in nine out of ten (92%), the risk to local communities was assessed as having either reduced or ceased completely by the time families left the project. In addition, for four out of five families, there was no further possession action taken against their homes and significant improvements in schools attendance were found.*
How much does it cost?

Because family intervention projects differ in the services they provide, so do the costs. The average costs range from around £8,000 per family for schemes which provide outreach services for families in their homes or living in managed properties, to around £15,000 for schemes which include the more intensive services (in a core residential unit). Government is contributing around £5,000 per family of this through funding . Other costs are met from the local authority through mainstream funding such as supporting people and neighbourhood renewal funds.
It has been estimated that the costs to society of a family with severe problems could be £250,000 - £350,000 in a single year without this intervention*.
Action across Government to support the family intervention projects

This approach brings together a number of key policies from across Government departments, including the strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour, Every Child Matters, reducing homelessness, Supporting People as well as the Government targets to reduce child poverty.

  • Government is investing around £15m over two years (April 2007-2009) to support their development with an additional £3m from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for training in parenting programmes.
  • Employment related services: Jobcentre Plus is providing a Nominated Officer to work closely with the Family Intervention Project in their area to help find work and training opportunities.
  • Health Services: Local health services are providing a Nominated Health Professional to help to access health services, signposting; troubleshooting and working with health organisations.
  • Parenting: DfES are funding training for all of the family intervention key workers in independently validated parenting programmes. This will ensure that key workers can help parents be better equipped to manage relationships and their children’s behaviour.
  • Housing related support: Communities and Local Government have committed £1.2m to help the development of the family intervention projects, through the Supporting People budget.
  • An evaluation of projects was completed in July 2008 (download below).

This was shortened to meet the 10000 character requirement.
http://www.respect.gov.uk/members/article.aspx?id=8678
 
It's what we get for being idiots.
If we prove time and again that we can't manage it ourselves, it's only a matter of time before the government steps in (unless the problem is highly profitable and therefore large companies lobby for not fixing it).
 
the_13th_redneck said:
It's what we get for being idiots.
If we prove time and again that we can't manage it ourselves, it's only a matter of time before the government steps in (unless the problem is highly profitable and therefore large companies lobby for not fixing it).
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I'm in favor of Social Darwinism..... can't run your own life.... then die off in the slums and alley ways. Because if the State starts to run your life then they're going to try to run mine.... and I'm doing quite fine by myself thank you very much.
 
the_13th_redneck said:
It's what we get for being idiots.
If we prove time and again that we can't manage it ourselves, it's only a matter of time before the government steps in (unless the problem is highly profitable and therefore large companies lobby for not fixing it).
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In this case that doesn't really apply either as this is from what I can gather it is a voluntary program (hence the reason they sign contracts) that grants a more hands on approach by social workers in family life in return for a higher level of help. So it seems that you have a case of families that realise there is a problem but can't fix it themselves.

As was pointed out in the government write up on the program there are multiple levels of "intrusion" depending on the situation of the family being dealt with it is not a case of the government sticking camera's in everyone's home.

The interesting thing in all of this is that the opposition says it doesn't go far enough which leads me to believe that the plan itself is acceptable to the major parties.
 
Well if the family is volunteering to have cameras in their homes to try to fix themselves, I don't see any issue in that.
 
the_13th_redneck said:
Well if the family is volunteering to have cameras in their homes to try to fix themselves, I don't see any issue in that.
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I am basing the volunteering bit on this section...

"A contract (also known as a behaviour support agreement) is drawn up between the family and key worker which sets out the changes that are expected, the support that will be provided in order to facilitate that change and the consequences if changes are not made, or tasks are not undertaken."

Basically unless they can force you to sign a contract it must be voluntary.

The impression I get is that the family concerned agrees to certain conditions via the BSA and in return they get a 1 on 1 social worker, probably extra cash or funding to bring housing up to scratch or to provide adequate meals for the kids, advise on budgeting, nutrition etc.

Essentially it appears to be aimed at those who don't have the skills to help themselves.
 
It's not an issue when someone's too incompetent to take care of himself but when kids are involved it's a whole new ball game.
I guess it might be a sort of deal where normally the kids would be taken away from their parents but through this program they get another chance at it.
 
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