COUNCILLORS have been looking at ways to improve services to help ‘troubled’ families.

Hampshire County Councillors met at the annual Safe and Healthy People Select Committee Crime and Disorder Scrutiny meeting on March 14 to discuss strategies for developing support for ‘troubled’ families across the county over the next year.

Ian Langley, strategic head for Hampshire STFP corporate services, said these families could face up to 20 different agencies contacting them at any one time, and the new plans will see better information sharing to stop that.

He said: “These families are everybody’s business, and everybody needs to go the extra mile for them. The message is starting to get across.

Hampshire County Council cannot achieve this on our own, and we want convergence with the district councils and other services.”

The plan is clear - one family, one plan, one approach, and one accountable agency or professional leading the work.

It is hoped that this will reduce demand on high cost services.