Funding for family support programmes to tackle violence

The Youth Endowment Fund and Comic Relief have opened applications for their £10 million programme to find out how family support can prevent violence.

The fund will invest in six to ten projects that will seek to analyse further about how early investment in family support programmes can keep children safe from involvement in violence later in their lives.

The announcement follows a four-month consultation with over 450 people working to keep children safe – including teachers, community and youth workers, police officers, social workers.

Evidence gathered through Comic Relief show that to prevent violence, more should be done to provide support to children where there are challenges like conflict or domestic abuse, alcohol or substance misuse or where other family members are involved in crime. The organisations also say that it is clear that efforts should be widened to reach all kinds of families, as well as children who are in foster families or residential care.

The funding is going to focus on four areas: parenting programmes; family therapy interventions; programmes to reduce parental conflict; and domestic abuse interventions.

Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “I’m delighted to work with, indeed to stand with, YEF in trying to get to grips with this crucial issue. It seems to me there is a growing understanding in society that supporting the family, and supporting it early, is the way to tackle a myriad of social problems. For me this is particularly important because children tell me this themselves.  

“In my Big Ask Survey this year, which captured responses from over half a million children from all backgrounds, the desire for a strong loving family and the honest, authentic and articulate comments on what life is like when that’s not there, came through very powerfully. I’m confident we can make life better for our most disadvantaged children but we need to be targeted, focussed and we need to do it now.”