Merseyside’s deputy crime commissioner will today open a national conference aimed at improving care and support offered to "troubled families".

The event will be officially opened by Cllr Ann O’Byrne and will focus on the needs of troubled families and families of offenders and examine why they can fall between the gaps in services.

It will bring together expert speakers and delegates to try to gain a greater understanding of the issues faced by such families and how these issues may impact on the troubled families agenda.

More than 300 “troubled” Wirral families have been helped under the Government scheme, designed to “turn their lives around.”

They are among 2,767 Merseyside families who, according to the Government, are “back on track” after intervention by local authority specialist teams.

Councillor O'Byrne said: “The troubled families programme aims to turn the lives around of some of the hardest to help families in the country.

“By working together with all the agencies involved in community safety to provide a package of care and support for these families, we can reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, helping adults to turn a corner and encouraging their children to stay in school.

“For this to be effective, we all need to work together and that is why events like today are so important.

“It is only through partnership work that we can cut re-offending, help ‘at risk’ families and have a positive impact on the whole community.

"Police and crime commissioners have a privileged overview of the criminal justice and community safety system and this gives us the opportunity to bring everyone together."

Local authorities are paid up to £4,000 on a "payment-by-results" basis for turning around troubled families.

The Government’s £448m, three-year budget for 2012 to 2015 is drawn from six Whitehall departments.

The "Troubled, who me?" conference is being held in Liverpool by community interest company NoOffence! in partnership with charity POPS..

The event will be on St James Street and guest speakers include NoOffence!’s chief executive Sue Clifford.