Teenagers on the edge of care or custody will be given the specialised support and advice they need to get their lives back on track thanks to a government investment of £589,000.

Cambridgeshire Council will use the money to extend the help on offer available to troubled families, particularly those who have been involved or are at risk from problematic sexual behaviour.

Social work and mental health experts will work with these young people and their families to prevent children being taken into care, to improve problem behaviour and to repair strained family relationships.

The programme will also be turned into what is called “a public service mutual” which means it can attract new funding and offer its services to other councils and providers.

Children and Families Minister, Edward Timpson, said: “This programme is already supporting adolescents with behavioural problems, working with them and their families to ensure the best possible outcomes.“

“By being able to expand their services to offer support to other young people and other areas means that even more young people will get the help they need.

“Having worked as a family lawyer in the care system for more than a decade, I am hugely excited to see where this project leads.”

Tom Jefford, Head of Youth Support Services, Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Initially based in East Anglia the mutual aims to develop across England.”

The scheme is one of the latest projects that have successfully bid for money through the government’s Innovation Programme.

The programme – backed by funding worth £100 million – aims to kick start the most promising proposals for new ways of providing children’s social care, such as supporting young people leaving care and taking their first steps into adulthood.