Fostering News: Government pledge £16 million to tackle drug dependency and support children in care

Money from the Life Chances Fund will benefit ten projects 

Projects that combat drug and alcohol dependency and support children in care will receive more than £16 million, Minister for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch announced today.

The money is the first round of investment from the £80 million Life Chances Fund and will:

• provide specialist services for children in foster care and residential homes
• help drug and alcohol dependent adults find full-time work, reduce addiction and cut unnecessary A&E admissions.

All ten projects are Social Impact Bonds, meaning money is only transferred when projects meet agreed targets. The investment is in addition to funding from 36 local authorities who will provide a combined £37.6 million to the ten successful projects.

Minister for Sport and Civil Society, Tracey Crouch, said:

This funding will benefit some of the most vulnerable people in society and provide vital support to help them transform their lives. The UK is a world leader in using social impact bonds to make a positive impact in society and these projects will achieve real results in communities across the country.

Examples of the projects that will receive funding are:

Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC)
FDAC will receive £6.2 million over seven years to support its work within the family court system to help families whose children are subject to care proceedings due to parental substance misuse and domestic violence in the home. Parents will be supported to address these issues so that children can be safely returned to the home. It is estimated that over 2,400 individuals will benefit from the programme.

Fostering Better Outcomes
Supported by Cheshire West and Chester Council, Fostering Better Outcomes will receive £939,000 to support the delivery of a project which aims to help children and young people transition into stable foster care. It will work with 30 children aged seven to 17 who are in or are at risk of entering residential care, to help improve their emotional well-being.

West London Alliance
The organisation will receive £1,200,000 to deliver placement services to people with drug and alcohol addictions who are out of work, so they can gain and retain competitive paid employment.

The Big Lottery Fund is delivering the Life Chances fund on behalf of DCMS.

ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
The £80m Life Chances Fund was launched in July 2016 with the objective of tackling entrenched social issues and helping those people in society who face the most significant barriers to leading happy and productive lives.

The fund is structured around six key themes: drug and alcohol dependency, children's services, early years, young people, older people's services, and healthy lives.

The grantees, the money they will receive and the project they will deliver, are listed below:

1. Family Drug and Alcohol Court: Will receive £6,052,434 to work with the family court system to support families whose children are subject to care proceedings due to parental substance misuse and domestic violence in the home.
2. East Midlands Children's Services Social Investment Platform: Will receive £3,001,057 for the delivery of new services that support challenging young people aged 10-17 who are either in care or at risk of entering care.
3. Integrated Family Support: Will receive £1,890,000 to fund the work it will carry out with families to reduce child safeguarding concerns associated with drug and alcohol use among parents.
4. West London Alliance: Will receive £1,200,000 to deliver placement services to people with drug and alcohol addictions who are out of work, so they can gain and retain competitive paid employment.
5. Bright Residential for Children: Will receive £1,118,520 to fund the way that residential placements for children and young people in Warwickshire are delivered.
6. Fostering Better Outcomes: Will receive £939,000 to support the delivery of a programme which aims to help children and young people transition into stable, highly supported foster care.
7. Cornwall Frequent Attenders Project: Will receive £779,216 to deliver services aimed at reducing frequent and avoidable A&E attendances by people with drug and alcohol problems. 8.Plymouth City Council: Will receive £539,140 to reduce the number of children aged five years and under entering care. Over a three year period it will provide support for up to 40 women who are experiencing a cycle of recurrent removal of their children.
8. Edge of Care and Reunification: Will receive £425,000 to support the delivery of multisystemic therapy, an evidence based programme which aims to return looked after children to the family home, or place them in sustainable foster care.
9. Early Intervention Care Prevention: Will receive £422,400 to develop a programme that will aim to reduce the number of adolescents entering or staying in care in Suffolk.

Source:
http://parliamentarybriefing.net

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