News Releases
Leading family charities find 80% increase in demand against background of cuts
NEWS RELEASE:
ISSUED: 29th September 2011
LEADING FAMILY CHARTIES FIND 80% INCREASE IN DEMAND AGAINST BACKGROUND OF CUTS
A survey conducted by three leading family support charities, Home-Start, Family Lives and Relate has found an 80% increase in demand for services, while funding is being cut.
Other findings from the recently commissioned Localism survey will be discussed at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference on the 4th October 2011.
As part of the Family Room coalition, Home-Start, Relate and Family Lives are hosting the roundtable event for local councillors, titled: ‘Who’s working locally to deliver the Big Society?’
It will bring together representatives of charities operating locally to deliver services, and councillors, to talk about the opportunities and challenges of working more closely together, in line with the government’s localism agenda.
The survey also showed:
- Almost three quarters of respondents have had their funding cut. averaging out at 20%....
- The average cut is 20%, however some respondents have seen their funding cut by as much as 100%.
- When asked about how local services are delivered, two thirds of respondents felt that ‘Localism’ was not having an impact….
- ..and more than half felt that they had not had an opportunity to influence commissioning strategies locally.
- However when asked about securing funding, 44% of respondents felt that localism was having an impact.
Answers on securing funding ranged from a negative:
“Whilst the county sorts out systems and processes against funding cuts, the immediate impact has been major funding cuts and imminent decommissioning of services. The local focus is on higher levels of family need whilst Sure Start centres (because funding was protected) are envisaged as picking up the preventative work. Much of the family support network of voluntary organisations will not meet funding criteria. Many Local councillors are not fully aware of the limited capacity Sure Start centres have to meet the demand already met by the voluntary sector. Families are in danger of being further disadvantaged through unmet need.”
to a positive:
“Instead of the county council holding the purse strings it is now allowing localities (basically based on district councils) to assess and commission in order to meet the needs within their communities. Each locality has at least one community development officer and they are helping to develop potential partnerships.”
Councillor Nickie Aitken, chair of the Family Room fringe event and children and young people’s cabinet member at Westminster City Council said, “This survey shows us that the move towards localism is not uniform across the country, and that organisations that deliver voluntary family support are having very different experiences.I’m looking forward to a very lively debate on 4th October.”
Family Room fringe event, Tuesday 4th October, 5.30pm-7pm, Midland Hotel, Manchester.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Press Contact:
Jo McLeish, Press and PR Officer, Home-Start UK
Tel: 0116 2587933
E-mail: jmcleish@home-start.org.uk
Website: www.home-start.org.uk
Invitation
Journalists are welcome to attend the event on Tuesday 4th October, 5.30pm-7pm, Midland Hotel, Manchester.
The Family Room
The Family Room is an alliance of fourteen different family sector organizations.It was established as the focal point for progressive debate and expertise on UK family policy at party conference time. Our events provide an opportunity for conference delegates to engage in discussions around the real issues faced by families today, with insight from leading figures in the family sector on what families value. Between the Family Room partners we provide helplines, face-to-face services, training, information, and research; reaching and supporting millions of families each year.
Home- Start is the UK’s leading family support charity. We recruit and train volunteers to support parents, in their own homes, with at least one child under the age of five. Our home visiting work is unique in the UK. The charity was set up in 1973 and now has 334 Home-Starts supporting nearly 35,000 families and almost 73,000 children each year.Over 16,000 volunteers visit families in their own homes – parents supporting other parents in a variety of situations including isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness or disability. In 2009/10, Home-Start home visiting volunteers gave an estimated 1million hours of time
Family Lives is a national charity that works for, and with, families. They offer a national helpline, Parentline (0808 800 2222), email and on-line chat support. All services are anonymous and confidential and Family Lives volunteers provide vital support for families. Family Lives listens to and empowers callers by helping them to identify the solutions that work for them.
Relate’svision is a future in which healthy relationships form the heart of a thriving society. Relate’s services extend beyond couple counselling to family counselling, counselling for young people, online counselling, sex therapy and informal workshops.Relate works in schools, primary care settings, prisons, and Children’s Centres. Relate supports 150,000 people each year in over 600 locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Relate has a work-force of 2,000 people nationwide
For more information and advice visit: www.relate.org.uk
Survey details:
Respondents: 192 respondents from Home-Start, Relate, Family Lives and the general public.
Format: online survey, hosted on Home-Start UK website
Dates:Survey open from 8 August 2011 to 12 September 2011
