UK Impact Report - Supporting families reduces children's offending and anti-social behaviour

Date: 23rd June 2015
Category: Family Environment and Alternative Care, Mental health, Child justice system

According to Action for Children's new research, providing intensive family support has greatly reduced cases of children offending or displaying anti-social behaviour.

The annual Impact Report also reveals that intensive family support, where a key worker works very closely with one family, has helped 89% of parents maintain or improve their mental health and helped 81% of children develop strong relationships with their family.

Supporting families to live together safely can mean savings of up to £130,471 per family to other social services or agencies by preventing children offending or entering the care system.

The report also found:

- Functional Family Therapy, where clinical staff work intensively with a family to change the anti-social behaviour of a young person who is at risk of going into care or custody, resulted in more than 95% who stayed with their families and more than 80% ceased offending behaviour.

- Multi-systemic Therapy, a home-based programme to create sustained behavioural change, resulted in 91% of young people continuing to live at home and 82% having satisfactory school attendance.

- Where there was a risk of physical, sexual or emotional abuse, this risk had been reduced in 96% of cases.

- 87% of children improved their emotional well-being.

- 97% of young people remained in education, employment or training after 16 years of age.

• Download the full 2015 UK Impact Report.
• Visit the Action for Children report page.