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Families 'need tough love'

The head of the Government's troubled families unit says the state need to take a new approach to the issue and should 'interfere' and tell women it is 'irresponsible' to have more children if they are struggling to cope.

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Getting children to school a 'major problem' for troubled families

Getting children to school is a problem for many troubled families. Credit: ITV News

The head of the Government's troubled families unit has said getting children to go to school, and encouraging teachers to keep them there, is a "major challenge."

Louise Casey, said it is vital that the new programme, set up in the wake of last year's riots, helps families ensure all their children turn up at school. She said:

"If every kid in the country who should be in school [was] there, all day, every day, you would transform all sorts of problems.”

Mothers 'must take responsibility'

The head of the Government's troubled families unit says the Government must not be "a soft touch" and should instead, get "stuck in" to challenge taboos about parenting and "change lives."

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph Louise Casey said:

There are plenty of people who have large families and function incredibly well, and good luck to them, it must be lovely.

The issue for me, out of the families that I have met, [is that] they are not functioning, lovely families.

One of the families I interviewed had six social care teams attached to them: nine children, [and a] tenth on the way. Something has to give here really.

Miss Casey said the state must start telling mothers with large families to take "responsibility" and "stop getting pregnant."

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Problem families have 'too many children'

Louise Casey says the state should 'interfere' and tell women to stop having kids if they can't cope. Credit: Press Association.

Louise Casey, the head of the Government's troubled families unit, has said the state should 'interfere' and tell women it is irresponsible to keep having children when they are already struggling to cope.

Miss Cassey said it is time for the state to step in and start telling mothers with large families to take "responsibility" and stop getting pregnant.

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