Government pledge £16 million to tackle drug dependency and support children in care

Money from the Life Chances Fund will benefit ten projects

Projects that combat drug and alcohol dependency and support children in care will receive more than £16 million, Minister for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch announced today.

The money is the first round of investment from the £80 million Life Chances Fund and will:

• provide specialist services for children in foster care and residential homes
• help drug and alcohol dependent adults find full-time work, reduce addiction and cut unnecessary A&E admissions.

All ten projects are Social Impact Bonds, meaning money is only transferred when projects meet agreed targets. The investment is in addition to funding from 36 local authorities who will provide a combined £37.6 million to the ten successful projects.

Minister for Sport and Civil Society, Tracey Crouch, said:

“This funding will benefit some of the most vulnerable people in society and provide vital support to help them transform their lives. The UK is a world leader in using social impact bonds to make a positive impact in society and these projects will achieve real results in communities across the country.”

Examples of the projects that will receive funding are:

Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC)

FDAC will receive £6.2 million over seven years to support its work within the family court system to help families whose children are subject to care proceedings due to parental substance misuse and domestic violence in the home. Parents will be supported to address these issues so that children can be safely returned to the home. It is estimated that over 2,400 individuals will benefit from the programme.

Fostering Better Outcomes

Supported by Cheshire West and Chester Council, Fostering Better Outcomes will receive £939,000 to support the delivery of a project which aims to help children and young people transition into stable foster care. It will work with 30 children aged seven to 17 who are in or are at risk of entering residential care, to help improve their emotional well-being.

West London Alliance

The organisation will receive £1,200,000 to deliver placement services to people with drug and alcohol addictions who are out of work, so they can gain and retain competitive paid employment.

The Big Lottery Fund is delivering the Life Chances fund on behalf of DCMS.