A project to transform the lives of so-called ‘troubled’ families has identified 699 families in Kirklees so far.
But due to targets set by the government, the council needs to pick out 1,115 families to assist.
It is part of a programme which Kirklees Council has re-named: Stronger Families, which was launched after the national riots in 2011.
It aims to combat poor attendance in school, help people on out-of-work benefits, those affected by domestic violence or support people with mental health matters that may affect families.
The Department for Communities and Local Government provided Kirklees Council with more than £1.2m for the project.
Members of yesterday’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel for Children and Young People heard that the council was recruiting 18 more specialists to support families.
Clr Peter O’Neill, Cabinet member for children’s services, said: “It takes a community to reach out.
“It’s important we help people make their homes safe and secure for all the family.”
He said they were on track to achieve the 1,115 target, having identified 57% of the amount required.
“We have turned around the lives of 197 families so far,” Clr O’Neill added.
Clare Mulgan, head of the Stronger Families programme, told the Panel: “Poor school attendance and people on out-of-work benefits are the main issues we are dealing with.
“But of the 600-plus families we are working with, around 300 who have experienced domestic abuse – it can be devastating and damaging for a family.”
A third of families were previously known to the local authority’s social workers, but she said they were working with ‘low risk’ families and preventing the risk becoming higher.
Clr Cahal Burke, chair of the Panel, asked how the claim for ‘payment by results’ worked.
It has netted the council £116,900 so far.
Ms Mulgan said: “We haven’t planned or spent it yet.”
She said a ‘result’ needed to meet criteria, such as children’s attendance improving over three school terms.
“We often see a result quite quickly, but we need to wait for it to meet the criteria before we can claim it’s been a success,” she added.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said elements of two schemes launched to turn around the lives of 120,000 families in England were underperforming.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) aimed to place 22% of individuals attached to the Troubled Families programme into employment over three years to March 2015, with a budget of £200 million.
The NAO said the DWP programme had achieved only 720 employment outcomes, just 4% of its target.
