Government is calling on councils and charities to come forward with bids for innovative and creative ideas to improve life chances for young people in their local area with successful schemes backed by a slice of £200 million.
This is a radical approach to the way in which vulnerable families are supported, backed by funding totalling £200 million, the new programme is aimed to kick-start the most promising proposals for new ways of delivering vital help for troubled children and young people.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: Every single child deserves the chance to fulfil their potential regardless of their background. Yet it remains a stark fact that we don’t yet have excellent children’s social services everywhere. And when our most vulnerable children and families don’t receive the support they need, it can literally be a matter of life and death.
Where there is failure, we can no longer sit by and watch. We know children flourish when they are supported by leaders who have been given the freedom to translate their expertise, passion and drive into providing life-changing support. And that’s why today we’re inviting charities and councils to come forward with their most creative ideas to transform the lives of those most in need, because no ambition can be too great when it comes to transforming children’s life chances. We’ve already seen how local services are ready to innovate and come up with new ideas to tackle entrenched problems.
The new investment follows the first round of the innovation programme announced in summer 2014 which has funded over 50 inspiring and imaginative programmes across the country, backed by £100 million.
Pause is an innovative programme helping women to break the cycle of repeat pregnancies resulting in high numbers of children being taken into care is awarded £4.3 million. Pause is reaching their target of working with 160 women who have had 568 children removed between them across the current 7 Pause Practices in London and the Yorkshire region. There have been no pregnancies to date.
Many women are now in safe accommodation, receiving help and support from domestic violence or mental health services, and engaged in training and education, as well as volunteering and employment.
Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson, who spent 10 years as a family barrister and whose own family fostered over 90 children, said: I know from my time at the Bar and my experience of fostering that when it comes to supporting our most vulnerable young people there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
That’s why we are calling on councils and professionals to continue digging deep, thinking radically and doing whatever it takes to find new and better ways of delivering for our most vulnerable children.
