Families who are involved with crime or do not send their children to school will get more support under a new scheme.

Sutton Council is to target troubled families and try to provide them with the help they need - either through council services or partner agencies like the police and NHS - as part of a programme called Families Matter.

The Troubled Families initiative is a Government drive to work with families who have complex problems to deal in order to reduce consequences for children, the parents and the wider community and Families Matter is a part of that.

Under the programme Sutton Council will be aiming to make sure people are aware of the most appropriate services to help them with their issues.

Councillor Ruth Dombey, leader of Sutton Council, said: "Sutton has a strong tradition of supporting those in the community that need some extra help.

"Now we have a different challenge to face.

"We are looking at helping those families in our community with a number of very different and complex issues to address and ones that can’t be solved overnight.

"Sutton is an inclusive borough and families matter in maintaining that. We want to give every person the same opportunities and chances to succeed in life and I’m confident that the launch of this scheme can make a real difference."

The three areas the Government is targeting are involvement in crime, children not attending school and adults in the household who are unemployed although Sutton wants to additionally look to reduce the impact of domestic violence, parental mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse.