FUNDING has been secured to help some of the borough’s most troubled families.

Cheshire West and Chester Council launched a programme in 2012 to support families suffering the effects of crime, anti-social behaviour, truancy, unemployment, mental health issues and domestic abuse.

It has now emerged it will receive a further £655,000 over the next two years to continue to develop the service.

Helen Brackenbury, director of the early help and prevention service, said: “We are high performers for our work in this area and were invited in autumn 2017 to submit an expression of interest to achieve ‘Earned Autonomy’ status.

“Together with our partners we have progressed through each stage of the bidding process and are one of only 11 areas to make a successful bid. For west Cheshire this will mean unlocking £655,000 of additional funding over the next two years.”

The funding will be used in three main areas: service integration, data sharing and leadership.

Service integration –probation services, adult community psychiatric nurses and drug and alcohol resources will be integrated within our existing multi-agency front door arrangements. The front door is the first point of contact for people seeking early help. Agencies will have access to more information to make timely and accurate decisions to help support local people.

Data sharing –an electronic case management system will be developed. This will be accessed by multiple agencies to identify and respond to cases as soon as possible after they arise. This will help prevent problems escalating to costly care services.

Leadership – closer working relationships will be forged in the new public service hub in Winsford. This will enable a holistic approach to more adult focussed services that are essential in supporting families.

Funding will be available from May 2018 and changes will star to be seen in these projects over the summer months.