Children's charities to get extra funding for Covid response
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
The government is to provide additional funding to extend Covid-19 response programmes run by children’s charities.
In a speech later today, children’s minister Vicky Ford will announce £4.2m will be given to a coalition of charities, including Barnardo's, to continue the See, Hear, Respond programme until next March.
-
Blog: Supporting children with their return to school
-
Analysis: Early child development review: emerging issues and solutions
The programme supports vulnerable children who fall below the threshold for statutory support and early help, including those in need of crisis support due to the pandemic.
According to the Department for Education the partnership, launched in June, has reached more than 39,000 vulnerable or ‘hidden’ children whose usual support networks of friends, extended family or out-of-school activities have been impacted by national and local pandemic restrictions.
This additional funding will reach an estimated 15,000 more children and young people, as well as 11,000 parents and carers in need of extra help, the DfE added.
Speaking at the Early Intervention Foundation’s national conference, Ford will say: “This pandemic has caused unparalleled challenges for us as a country, but it has been particularly difficult for many vulnerable families who need the most support. This funding will expand the vital service provided by the See, Hear, Respond partnership, which has already helped find and protect 39,000 children who may otherwise have remained ‘invisible’ without it.”
Ford will also announce plans to launch the procurement process for a new National Centre for Family Hubs and Integrated Services, to support areas and councils set up new family hubs.
The new centre will draw on existing good practice among councils, where hubs often operate an ‘open door’ approach and families can be referred for extra help by a range of professional services, including midwives, health visitors, GPs, schools or social services.
Ford will say: “We promised to champion family hubs and the plans set out today will help make sure even more families and children can access the early health and education services we know can have a lifelong impact.”
An evaluation innovation fund will also be established to support family hubs to design and deliver robust evaluations of their effectiveness and value for money.
