The Coalition's flagship troubled families programme is now supporting more than half of the 120,000 chaotic households it  pledged to help transform by 2015, ministers have announced.

Latest figures issued by the DCLG today  show the £448m three-year initiative led by Louise Casey is involved with 62,000 households and more than 22,000 families have been successfully helped under the payment-by-results scheme.

To gain a full share of the £4,000 available, top-tier English authorities must help reduce school truancy rates, reduce levels of anti-social behaviour and find work for unemployed adults.

More than three-quarters of the target figure of families, some 92,000 have been identified.

Wandsworth LBC is working with 90% of its troubled families, Newcastle City Council is working with 80% while Wakefield MBC has turned around more than half of its 930 households and Leicestershire CC nearly half of its 810 identified households.

The troubled families programme is on course to gain a £1bn funding package over the course of the next full spending review period.

Louise Casey, who is head of the troubled families programme, said: ‘These results show that a tough, intensive but supportive approach has a big impact; giving hope and opportunity to the families and respite to the communities around them.'