Lottery Fund To Support NI Families Launched

The Big Lottery Fund has announced details of a major multi-million pound programme to support some of Northern Ireland's most disadvantaged families.

The £25m Reaching Out: Supporting Families programme will tackle some of the issues affecting families across NI including addiction, poverty, mental ill-health and separation.

Supporting Families will award grants of between £500,000 and £700,000 to projects that will help families to improve their children's lives by building strong and nurturing relationships.

It will support children under the age of 12 and their families who face a number of challenges.

Also, for the first time, some projects will have the chance to apply for funding for up to seven years to ensure that the families they are working with receive longer term support.

Joanne McDowell, the Big Lottery Fund NI Director, said: "I am delighted to be able to launch details of our Supporting Families programme. It is understood and accepted that offering help sooner rather than later can make a big difference to outcomes for children, young people and families.

"So we want this new programme to improve the lives of children and their families by strengthening the relationships with those that look after them. We know a lot of good work is already happening in Northern Ireland and we would like to see organisations coming together in partnership to develop strong projects that will reach out to those families who need the most support."

Single mum, Cathy Faloon from Poleglass, is receiving support from the Extern Organisation which recently received funding from the Big Lottery Fund to support kinship foster carers. Ms Faloon, who has two children, is also a kinship carer for her brother's two children.

She said: "I have never regretted my decision to keep my family together and while it is extremely challenging it is also one of the most rewarding things in the world but I simply couldn't do it without the support of Extern's Kinship Care Project.

"They have helped with respite and there is always someone at the end of the phone and it helps to be with other families who are in the same situation as me. I think all those who are looking after kin should be offered support and have the right tools to cope with their family situations."

(JP/CD)