Multiproblem families usually have been involved with Social Services for a long time, their children may have been removed or are about to be and Social Services want to have an assessment of the parental capacities in order to determine a clearer future for the children and the family as a whole.
These multiproblem families are high risk and high cost for society and they are sometimes hard to reach.
Multi problem families present simultaneously a number of problems:
The consequences are that:
These multiproblem families are high risk and high cost for society and they are sometimes hard to reach.
Multi problem families present simultaneously a number of problems:
- Physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect
- Chronic mental health issues
- Social exclusion and social problems, such as poverty, unemployment, discrimination, inadequate housing
- Alcohol and substance misuse
- Violence, delinquency
- Educational exclusion and failure
The consequences are that:
- Families are difficult to reach, hard to treat
- Families and professionals are full of mutual mistrust, denial, hostility and secrecy
- Families blame Social Services or the ‘system’ for their problems, they are resistant to ‘change’ and generally feel coerced to attend assessment or therapy
- The number of involved professionals increase continuously, with multiple opinions and splitting being unwanted side effects.
- Professional paralysis
