Employment experts drafted in to help troubled families back into work (From Southend Standard)

Employment experts drafted in to help troubled families back into work

9:50am Friday 22nd March 2013 in Echo News

Employment experts will help troubled families in south Essex to get back into work

NEW employment advisers are being drafted in to Essex as part of a nationwide drive to get troubled families into work and away from a life of crime and anti-social behaviour.

The 150 Jobcentre Plus advisers, of which four will be working with families in Essex, will provide intensive help and support on CV writing, job interview skills and can also highlight training opportunities and job vacancies.

They will also track the progress made to get people into jobs, something which hasn’t been done before.

The announcement comes alongside figures from Essex County Council on progress made within the first year of the Government’s Troubled Families programme.

These show that by the end of December last year:

* 597 out of 2,220 troubled families in Essex had been identified.

* 394 out of the 597 had been worked with by local authorities through interventions to tackle truancy, youth crime, antisocial behaviour and unemployment.

Nationally, 23,000 out of 120,000 troubled families are being worked with in a similar way.

Stephen Metcalfe, Tory MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, thinks the new scheme is a good idea.

He said: “Across Essex 2,220 families have been identified as needing extra support and help to turn their lives around.

“These extra employment specialists will provide practical help to put adults from troubled families on the path back to work.”