Super Nannies

The UK government intends to send Super Nannies into the homes of the most anti-social families.

These social workers, with extra health or other specialised skills, will be with the family early in the morning and late at night, ensuring the children are fed, dressed, sent to school and layabout parents get jobs. At night they will make sure children are washed and put to bed and not roaming the streets.

Antisocial families are currently monitored by up to 10 different local authority agencies — allowing those determined not to change their ways to play different bodies off against each other.

Under the plans, such families will be put under the full-time supervision of a single case worker, who will only move on when there is evidence that households are responding.

This may be a good thing and I'll tell you why. The social worker is going to have the sole responsibility for getting routine, structure and just some semblance of normality into these homes. He or she is going to find out that the main barrier to achieving this is her employer, in another guise. In the case of the UK, the Dept of Work and Pensions. As long as the "layabout" parent keeps collecting their dole or lone parenting payment without sanctions changing any other behaviour patterns will be nigh on impossible. I speak from experience.

While many different authorities were involved, no single one had to take the responsibility for making a difference. So, as an alternative to the status quo I would support this. Finding anybody who wants to do the job is another matter.