News archive
Think Family video
The Social Exclusion Task Force has created a video to communicate some of the key messages from the Families at Risk Review. Video clips featuring practitioners and family members illustrate the key characteristics of services that ‘Think family’.
Family Pathfinder programme launched to support vulnerable families
A £16m ‘Family Pathfinder’ programme has been launched to offer disadvantaged families intensive help and support. 15 local authorities have successfully bid to lead the way in testing and developing a ground-breaking ‘think family’ approach to help their most vulnerable families. These areas are Blackpool, Bolton, Brighton and Hove, Durham, Gateshead, Islington, Leeds, Salford, Somerset, Walsall, Warrington, Southampton, Southend, Sunderland and Westminster.
‘Think Family' is an approach developed by the Social Exclusion Task Force and aims to ensure that adults' and children's services join up to respond to the needs of whole families.
‘Think Family: Improving the life chances of families at risk
Think Family: Improving the life chances of families at risk launched on 10 January, setting out a vision of a local system that ‘thinks family’.
Family Pathfinders Evaluation: Call for expressions of interest
The Department for Children, Schools and Families is funding a £16m Family Pathfinder programme to test and develop the Think Family model outlined in the Social Exclusion Task Force report ‘Think Family: Improving the Life Chances of Families at Risk’. They are inviting expressions of interest from research organisations to evaluate the pathfinder and the extended elements. The closing date is 21 April 2008.
Multi-systemic Therapy Pilots – 10 pilot sites announced
The Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) approach is being piloted by the Department of Health in partnership with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and fulfils the commitment set out in the Cabinet Office's Social Exclusion Action Plan, published September 2006, to test interventions for tackling mental health problems in childhood.
The ten sites chosen to pilot MST have been announced by government Ministers Kevin Brennan, Ivan Lewis and Gillian Merron. These will be in: London Borough of Merton and Royal Borough of Kingston; London Borough of Greenwich; London Borough of Hackney; Leeds; Trafford; Sheffield; Barnsley; Peterborough; Reading; and Plymouth.
Regional Workshops on the Socially Excluded Adults PSA and Later Life PSA
In partnership with DWP and the nine English Regional Offices, SETF are organising a series of workshops on two of the Public Service Agreements (PSAs) that aim to improve the lives of vulnerable adults in our society.
Public Service Agreement
Socially excluded adults are prioritised in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. A new Public Service Agreement (PSA) is aimed at reducing social exclusion amongst the most vulnerable adults.
The progress of the Social Exclusion Task Force
One year on from the publication of the Social Exclusion Action Plan, we have made some significant achievements across government.
Staying Safe strategy for children and young people
The Department for Children, Schools and Families are consulting on their ‘Staying Safe’ strategy. Its purpose is to set out how we can work together to help children and young people stay safe, and make the most of their talents and new opportunities to fulfil their potential. The consultation runs until 31 October 2007. For more information please see the Staying Safe website.
Code of Practice: identifying ‘what works’ for socially excluded people
As part of the Social Exclusion Task Force's work on systems reform the Code of Practice will set out guiding principles for evaluating services and programmes for socially excluded groups. The Code will support commissioners and providers in conducting and using service evaluations to drive improved service delivery. It will be a tool that can be used by Local Strategic Partnerships to aid identification of ‘what works’.
Adults facing chronic exclusion pilots announced
The Government has announced the next steps in its programme to tackle social exclusion, supporting twelve new projects to help the most chronically excluded adults in society.
Reaching Out: Think Family
Reaching Out: Think Family is the first stage of our Families At Risk Review. This report sets out interim analysis and themes on the multiple problems faced by some of the most excluded families in society.
The report focuses on public services and asks what more can be done to improve the outcomes of the small minority of families who continue to experience multiple problems in their lives. In particular, it poses questions to adults– services about the extent to which they treat their clients as parents and family members. The report suggests that there are opportunities to better coordinate all services so that they can tackle the root causes of families' disadvantage.
Early intervention
Social Exclusion Minister Pat McFadden and Kate Billingham, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, recently joined ‘Early intervention’ pioneer, Professor David Olds, to share experiences and ideas at a Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) event.
Professor Olds from the University of Colorado marked his visit to England with a speech at the RSA this week. A pioneer in devising new approaches to early intervention in the first few years of a child’s life, Professor Olds discussed in detail his work and experiences. This included the Nurse Family Partnership, a programme he established in the US and has been developing for over 25 years, which is now being piloted in England.
Pat McFadden said:
‘If we know about the importance of the early months and years of a child’s life, and we know about the cycle of disadvantage that can be passed from generation to generation, cutting off opportunity and aspiration, and we know we have a programme that offers a lot of promise in challenging this pattern, then it would be wrong to turn away from that.’
New data spells out importance of intervention for Families At Risk Review
The Cabinet Office Social Exclusion Task Force has released new information revealing that over 140,000 families in England and Wales are at risk of permanent social exclusion and need targeted personalised services aimed at whole family issues. Hilary Armstrong, Cabinet Minister for Social Exclusion, announced a review into how to reach families at risk at a conference with health and social service workers in Brighton. She was joined by Pat McFadden, Social Exclusion Minister.
Reaching Out: Regional conferences on social exclusion
In March 2007 the Social Exclusion Task Force held a series of regional conferences in Brighton, Birmingham and Leeds. The aim of the conferences was to talk to key national and local stakeholders on our progress to date, including the pilot projects announced in the Action Plan and developments in systemic reform. Cabinet Social Exclusion Minister Hilary Armstrong gave the keynote speech at each conference and was supported by a number of guest speakers. In the afternoon, workshops asked participants for their ideas on our review of excluded and at–risk families.
Reaching Out: Progress on Social Exclusion
The Prime Minister, at his monthly press conference, set out progress on tackling social exclusion six months after the publication of the cross-Government Social Exclusion Action Plan. In a presentation, he showed the Government's success in improving lives for the most disadvantaged groups but also set out the challenges in reaching those hard to reach groups, caught in a cycle of disadvantage.
Adults facing Chronic Exclusion Programme
The Adults facing Chronic Exclusion Programme is a cross–Government initiative led by the Social Exclusion Task Force, resulting from the Reaching Out Report. The programme will improve service delivery for people with multiple problems and complex needs.
We are currently reviewing proposals for a range of 3–year pilots that can:
- improve service delivery to the hardest to reach
- engage with people who are excluded from society
- offer individual support during periods of transition
The deadline for proposals has now passed.
Research Publication: The Multidimensional Analysis of Social Exclusion
The University of Bristol have completed a research project on behalf of the Task Force looking at severe forms of social exclusion; identifying gaps in the knowledge base and recommending appropriate research strategies to fill these gaps.
Public service delivery action plan
The Office of the Third Sector has published an action plan outlining opportunities for the third sector to play an enhanced role in public services. 'Partnership in Public Services: an action plan for third sector involvement' will be of interest to all organisations involved in tackling social exclusion. An interim report on the review of the future role of the third sector has also been published.
Invitation to bid: DH/DfES health led parenting support demonstration sites
On 9 November the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills invited applications from primary care trusts and local authorities wanting to become demonstration sites for the parenting support programme for at risk families. Further information is available on the DH website.
Naomi Eisenstadt has been appointed the Director of Social Exclusion Task Force
The former Chief Adviser on Children's Services at the Department for Education and Skill (DFES) Naomi Eisenstadt has now been appointed the Director of Social Exclusion Task Force in the Cabinet Office.
Hilary Armstrong speaks about ‘Delivering the Social Exclusion Agenda’
Hilary Armstrong, in a speech to mark the 25th anniversary of Community Links at Leeds, spoke about mental health, the role of the third sector to deliver better and more personalised services and the government's role in helping that happen.
Government Information sharing can help protect the most disadvantaged
News release about information sharing in order to help protect the most disadvantaged members of society.
News release
Reaching Out: An Action Plan for Social Exclusion
‘Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion
’ has been launched as part of a week of announcements from government departments setting out plans for dealing with social exclusion.
Reaching Out: An Action Plan for Social Exclusion
Pat MacFadden on new minister's forum
Pat MacFadden has launched a new minister's forum with an article on social exclusion. Read the article and add your comments on the new e-Politix's Minister's Forum.
Minister's forum [External website]
