AN American style therapy to help young people at risk of going into care or custody is to be launched in Cheshire.

Funding of £250,000 has been pledged by the Department for Education (DfE) for a therapy service in Cheshire East and Cheshire West.

The initiative aims to break the cycle of crime and anti-social behaviour by keeping young people at home, in school and out of trouble.

The service will launch in April 2012 focusing on 11 to 17-year-olds who have serious problems with aggressive or criminal behaviour, drug or alcohol problems, truancy and running away from home as well as other high-risk behaviours like self harm.

The therapists are available to the families they are helping 24 hours a day, seven days a week, handling a small number of cases but providing intensive support.

Studies have proven that the pioneering technique has helped reduce arrest rates by up to 70 per cent and reducing out-of-home placements by up to 64 per cent.

Clr Rhoda Bailey, cabinet support member for children and families at Cheshire East Council, said: “The number of young people who will benefit from this service will be relatively small.

“The greater significance of multisystemic therapy is the change of approach from providing emergency intervention when people hit crisis point to community-based intervention and prevention.

“It will provide a useful model for agencies in Cheshire who will be able to learn from the approach and incorporate it into the way they work.”

The partnership behind the scheme includes Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, NHS Western Cheshire PCT, Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, Cheshire Youth Offending Service and the Clinical Commissioning Groups across Cheshire.