Thousands more families in Nottinghamshire will benefit with news that a national scheme to support vulnerable people is to be extended.

Nottinghamshire County Council has secured funding to extend its programme to the year 2020 – helping a further 5,260 families over this five year period address a range of issues.

The county council is currently committed to supporting 1,580 families as part of its Supporting Families programme over a three-year period which started in 2012. Nottinghamshire has been named as an ‘early adopter’ of the next phase of the national scheme.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s key workers and relevant agencies including health workers and other teams where appropriate, help families on the scheme by tailoring individual action plans and providing them with ongoing support to help them address problems.

Councillor Liz Plant, Vice-Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Our approach to the Supporting Families scheme in Nottinghamshire is about listening to families, understanding the problems they have and then working with them to overcome these issues.

“Often, many complex factors are at play resulting in a family finding themselves in a position of struggle. By taking a holistic approach we can help them overcome problems they face. Extending and widening the scope of this scheme means we can support more families in the county.”

Currently, the scheme aims to help families of children aged eight and above to get children back into school, reduce crime and antisocial behaviour, and put adults on a path back to work.

As part of the next phase of the programme, the scheme can also help families whose parents and children have a range of health problems, who are affected by domestic violence and abuse, and those involved in a generational cycle of crime.

Support will also extend from pre-birth upwards – meaning expectant mothers aged under 16 in the county could receive support and advice as part of the Supporting Families programme.

Progress on the scheme will be given at the county council’s next meeting of the Children and Young People’s Committee on January 12.