The Parenting Fund assists not-for-profit organisations undertaking parenting support work where parents, families and children face significant challenges. Funding is available for work in 23 localities (opens new window) which have a need for increased parenting provision, to maximise the fund’s impact. Although the fund no longer covers national or regional work, funded projects are expected to deliver training and outcomes that can be picked up nationally.
The minimum grant available is £50,000 for the two-year period, and there is no upper limit. £16 million has been provided for a two-year period starting in April 2009.
The government’s key outcomes for children are set out in the document Every Child Matters (these are: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, achieve economic well-being). The Parenting Fund is one of a number of ways of achieving these outcomes. Through the Parenting Fund, the DCSF expects to:
- do more for parents who have been less well served in the past. For example: Black and Ethnic Minority parents, parents with mental health problems, families living with conflict, parents with disabilities or who have children with a disability;
- strengthen the network of services in the voluntary sector that support parents in bringing up their children;
- highlight and promote good practices so that they can be used by all family and parent support services.
What for?
Applications for the Parenting Fund should fall within the following broad criteria:
- Strengthen existing parental couple relationships, whether parents live together or apart, and assist separated/divorced parents who are in conflict to better work together in order to minimize the impact of the poor parental relationship on their child or children, and so improve outcomes for those children
- Strengthen family relationships in families where parental behaviours compromise family wellbeing, for example where parents are substance/alcohol misusers, have significant mental health problems or live with high degrees of conflict and distress
- Promote active and positive fatherhood, with particular emphasis on engaging fathers in their children’s learning and development
- Promote inclusion and equality by enabling the take up of existing services by disadvantaged, vulnerable, ‘hard to reach’ and less well served communities
- Work to support families of offenders to improve life chances of their children.
- Offer effective interventions for parents whose children are vulnerable to gang membership, or carrying knives and guns so as to prevent the children committing criminal behaviours in the future
Promote stronger family relationships and improved parental confidence and skills through intergenerational activity
Restrictions
The Fund will not provide grants for:
- work which falls outside of the Parenting Fund criteria;
- direct services for children unconnected with parenting support;
- activities which a statutory body is responsible for;
- applications for retrospective funding;
- unspecified expenditure;
- medical treatment or medical research;
- general appeals or endowments;
- capital projects including purchasing buildings or land
- fundraising events or activities;
- sponsorship or marketing appeals;
- property speculation/investment;
- meeting interest on loans;
- work that takes place outside of England;
- bridging loans or mortgages;
- campaigning activities;
- research as the primary activity without integral practical service delivery;
- leisure or arts activities;
- neighbourhood development;
- the promotion of religious beliefs – although this does not prevent religious or faith groups from applying for parenting support work.
Deadline
12/12/2008
How Much?
Total Fund Value: £ 16,000,000
Grant Value – minimum: £ 50,000
The Parenting Fund welcomes applications from organisations already active in these areas as well as from those for whom this work may be a new or developing strand. Where applications are made in support of work organisations are already doing, the emphasis should be on either new projects or extending or improving existing services.
Eligibility
- Within Yorkshire and Humber the Parenting Fund is available for work in the following local authority areas:
- Leeds,
- North East Lincolnshire
- Organisations must be voluntary and non-profit making but do not have to be a registered charity to apply for a grant. Eligible organisations will:
- be set up and run on similar lines to a charity;
- have the majority of their objects or purposes that are charitable in law or close to being so;
- not permit anyone to make a profit from being associated with the organisation;
- not have political or doctrinaire purposes.
The minimum eligibility criteria that organisations must have are:
- a constitution or governing document;
- a bank/building society account that requires at least two signatories;
- a Child Protection Policy;
- an Equal Opportunities Policy;
- annual audited unqualified accounts for the past three years;
- projects currently recieving Parenting Fund Transitional Grant would need to demonstrate how the proposal is a development of the second round/ transitional work and fits with the new criteria.
Applications will be deemed ineligible if submitted by:
- individuals not applying on behalf of a voluntary organisation;
- organisations which do not meet the above minimum eligibility criteria;
- organisations which exist to trade and make profits;
- Health Authorities, Local Authorities, Local Education Authorities, Education and Library Boards or Parish and Community Councils (or any institutions or services managed directly by any of these organisations).
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