P-05-728 Protect Families First Funding
P-05-728 Protect Families First Funding
This
petition was submitted by Whitehead-Ross Education and UNISON Neath Port Talbot
County Borough Council Branch, having collected 24 signatures.
Petition wording
We
call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to protect
the Families First budget in order to protect the most vulnerable families
across Wales, including in our own area of Neath Port Talbot (NPT).
Families
First is a Welsh Government-funded innovation programme that promotes the
development by local authority areas of effective multi-agency systems and
support, with a clear emphasis on prevention and early intervention for
families, particularly those living in poverty.
At the end of August, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Communities
issued a letter to local authorities about the future of Families First, which
is due to end in March 2017. In his letter he outlined the future priorities to
address identified gaps in service provision for parents and young people and
link the work of the programme clearly with the prevention of Adverse Childhood
Experiences (ACEs).
The Cabinet Secretary is expected to make a formal announcement on the future
of the programme in the autumn and budgetary allocations for each local
authority will not be known until late December 2016. With Communities First
coming to an end in March 2017, this reinforces the need for Families First to
be protected.
In its first full year of operation, NPT's ‘Think Family’ early intervention
and prevention programme supported almost 100 families to make positive changes
and tackle issues before they became critical. Based on Government estimates
that one troubled family can cost the taxpayer in the region of £75,000 per
year, this represents a return on investment of £3.32 for every £1 spent and
more than £7.3 million savings to the economy.
The Welsh Government reduced the Families First Grant in NPT by £260,000 for
2016/17, with a grant of £1,964,194. 2,586 individuals accessed a Families
First service during 2015-16 in NPT.
Picture of a family
Status
This
petition was considered completed by the Petitions
Committee
at its meeting on 17/01/2017
The Committee considered comments from the petitioner and
agreed to close the petition on the basis that the budget for Families First
will be maintained for 2017-2018.
Assembly
Constituency and Region
· Aberavon
· South Wales West
Further information
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 15/11/2016