£8m scheme is to benefit up to 900 households (From Evesham Journal)
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£8m scheme is to benefit up to 900 households
11:00am Sunday 30th September 2012 in News
AN £8 million scheme which aims to reduce family breakdown and boost children’s self-esteem will “target the most vulnerable”, according to a leading county politician.
Councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member for children and young people’s social care, said the Early Help Strategy will be a major success.
Speaking before a meeting of the cabinet at County Hall, she said it will “put the family at the heart of everything” and offer more help to parents in need of advice.
The strategy, first revealed in your Worcester News on Thursday, aims to beef up the range of services available to youngsters.
Coun Eyre said: “This is about nipping problems in the bud and making sure that when parents and families need help, we are there for them.
“It will put the family at the heart of everything we do, but it’s not about a dependency culture.
“The key message will be that when parents come to us to tell us their story, they only need to do it once.
“It will be aimed at nought to 19-year-olds, and the funding we are putting into this is allocated very much on need. It will target the most vulnerable.”
Of the £8 million, Worcester will get the biggest slice on offer, of £1.9 million.
It will be spent in a variety of areas, including expanding the range of services available at children’s centres across the county.
It will also help identify a register of families where no adult works, children are not at school and at least one householder is involved in crime.
Research suggests there could be 900 homes fitting that description in the county.
But at the moment no database for them is available.
All of the names on the list will be told about the strategy and what it means for them.
Management structures of the 34 children’s centres in the county will also come together under one roof, ensuring the services on offer are consistent.
Comments(3)
Jabbadad
says...
2:36pm Sun 30 Sep 12
Perhaps Liz & Co could explain how the new Welfare Reform bill will help the less well off, by paying the rent benefits direct to the tenant and breaking the security that at least they (tenants) would still have a roof over their heads. But no there will be hundreds if not thousands of young and elderly out on the streets by this stupid decision by Iain Duncan Smith, (the quiet man, pity he didn't keep quieter if not dumb about this terribly short sighted policy) But with an almost compulsory shift to personalisation (direct payments) there will be thousands more who cannot adjust to yet more changes, by / from those who have never been in the situations that they judge so many on. eg You normally would try a new pair of shoes on before buying them or seeing that they fit, Not the politicians they just know since they were educated in private schools, most never having held a job, so being unaware of the real problems out there, but find themselves from a journey in life controlled by back slapping and favors to arrive in a position of judgement over others lives.
TmP
says...
8:23pm Sun 30 Sep 12
I have much sympathy with jb and his problems.
jb says...
11:34am Sun 30 Sep 12
In the mean time Worcestershire County Council are targeting the 'most vulnerable' people with disabilities and their families by reducing their care funding and removing services. I've asked social services for help with my son, it falls of deaf ears due to lack of funds and disinterested social workers. Instead of ploughing in all this money to give advice to people who probably know the system inside out and abuse or ignore it would be better spent helping people who would love to have access to the community and participate productively but are having all their services destroyed.Liz Eyre needs to take off her rose tinted councillor glasses and see that the real world is a very dark place to a lot of people.