Addiction support project on the brink
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A Kent project that helps the children of parents addicted to drugs and alcohol may be forced to close early next year because of a lack of money.
The Sunlight Project, which helps children aged seven to 11, was set up in response to the government's 2003 report Hidden Harm. The Children's Fund money and government grants that fund the project will end in April next year. No new funding source has been found so far.
The project, which operates in Canterbury, Dover and Swale, runs group sessions for six to eight weeks in schools and community facilities. The sessions allow children to participate in activities like arts, crafts and football.
Claire Goulding, director of young person's services for drugs charity KCA, which set up the project in 2005, said: "Schools greatly value the Sunlight Project because it supports children with behavioural and emotional difficulties."
The project has helped around 280 children since it began.
