Scottish Government
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Perth Familes Project

The Perth Families Project, run by the leading children's charity NCH Scotland in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council, was officially opened by Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing today.

It is modelled on the successful Dundee Families Project, established by NCH Scotland 10 years ago, which has since been expanded across Britain to help hundreds of families put their previously shattered lives back together again.

The Perth project is one of three in Scotland that are being funded by the Scottish Government to explore the most effective way to address antisocial behaviour problems. The others are in South Lanarkshire and Falkirk.

Funding of £2 million is being provided over two years for these projects that bring together health, housing and social work professionals to provide intensive supervision and intervention for individuals and families involved in antisocial behaviour.

Mr Ewing said:

"I am pleased to officially open the Perth project, and delighted that all three projects are now up and running.

"Even at this early stage there are signs of positive progress in all three areas, with evidence of significant reductions in antisocial behaviour within the families involved.

"While most of our communities are great places to live and work, too many are blighted by antisocial behaviour - some plagued by serious crime, and many of our most disadvantaged areas hit hardest.

"Very often most of the antisocial behaviour in a community is caused by just a few families - known to most residents and businesses.

"By working intensively with the most troubled and troublesome families we can break the cycle of chaotic lives and offending, that too often passes from one generation to another, bringing continued misery to neighbours."

Andrew Girvan, Director of Children's Services for NCH Scotland, said:

"The evidence from the pioneering work of the NCH Dundee Families Project shows that intensive intervention with the most challenging families will achieve the best outcomes - both for the families themselves and the wider community.

"We have shown that families can be helped to change and live in peace with their neighbours. Our work has helped to strengthen families, secure a better future for children and create more peaceful communities. It has also reduced the need for evictions and prevented children being taken into care, resulting in substantial financial savings for local authorities.

"We now look forward to working with Scottish Ministers to build on this work and expand the reach of this type of service to other parts of Scotland."

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