North East Lincolnshire Council evaluating and developing the Troubled Families programme

Because of our work: Aspects of this successful programme were adjusted to create a more integrated and effective service.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Key Skills Workers were employed under the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative to work with people who had multiple and complex needs and, ultimately, to increase their employability. The project included interventions to increase self-esteem and build greater routine into lives which were often chaotic and dysfunctional.

The council commissioned Hall Aitken to explore the programme’s initial impact and to develop a theory of change that would determine how short intensive support could have longer term benefits on people’s lives. We were asked to improve partners’ understanding of the most critical barriers that needed to be addressed when working with people with issues such as substance abuse, ex-offending and homelessness.

Stage one: action learning and stakeholder engagement. We adopted an action learning approach to the evaluation; joining key skills workers in their clients’ homes where we could build a much clearer picture of the family and outside stresses which impacted on employability.

We also worked with stakeholders from the third sector, education and employment services to develop an asset map of services and identify potential gaps in support.

Stage two: a revised approach. Our report identified the programme’s many achievements and clear progress toward its desired outcomes. We also identified internal difficulties that had been hampering delivery and creating a disjoint between some agencies. Our findings were used to overhaul programme management as well as to continue supporting the project’s success.