£12.5m to support vulnerable families and children during pandemic

It will support a range of services for children and families whose lives have been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The funds will also enable the development of Wales’ first Family Drug and Alcohol Court to be explored, in line with a recommendation from the Commission on Justice in Wales.

Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services Julie Morgan, said:

“Coronavirus has had – and continues to have – a profound and ongoing impact on all aspects of our lives. For children, and some of our most vulnerable children, young people and families, the impact of the virus and the challenges they face are far greater.

“To help address those challenges and meet these needs, I am today announcing a significant package of funding. This is very much part of our Covid-19 Reconstruction: Challenges and Priorities agenda which the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition Jeremy Miles set out earlier this month.

“This will ensure that children, young people and families in Wales will receive the support they need during these very challenging and extraordinary times.”

The £12.5m package includes:

• £2m for the Child Development Fund to provide additional support for children and families to address concerns around developmental delays in areas such as speech, language and communication, motor skills, and personal and social development;
• £800,000 for families experiencing difficulties in their relationships to help resolve conflict and family stress;
• £860,000 to improve the quality of services being offered to families in Flying Start areas.

The funding will also include investment in social service support for families to stay safely together and to further develop the capacity of Wales’ foster care provision.

This includes:

• £1.6m for local authorities to assist in the safe resolution of cases prior to reaching child protection registration;
• £2.2m to local authorities to support the development of an enhanced or remodelled Family Group Conferencing provision;
• £3m to help relieve case backlogs and support people leaving care, and to support scoping work to develop a Family Drug and Alcohol Court model for Wales;
• £320,000 to support the National Fostering Framework for Wales.

A full list of the allocation of the £12.5m is available at gov.wales