Contact awards grants to 83 parent carer support groups

2 mins read

Tuesday 13 July 2021

Tags: parent carer forums, pears foundation, covid-19 emergency funding, rare conditon groups

83 parent carer forums  and rare condition groups are set to benefit from grants awarded by Contact to help them continue supporting local families of children and young people with SEND.

The grants – made possible thanks to a match funding partnership between Pears Foundation and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) – form part of the Government’s £750m emergency Covid-19 funding charities package.

Recent research from the Disabled Children’s Partnership shows that in spite of lock down restrictions easing, too many families with a disabled child remain socially isolated and are still struggling to access services.

Small parent support groups are a lifeline for so many families with a disabled child, but often they have limited options for funding. We know that many have found themselves in danger of closing or have found it difficult to offer the services they once did because of the pandemic.

These grants recognise the unique role local parent carer forums and rare condition groups have supporting families – particularly at the moment – and mean they will be able to continue their work with the local families who need them at this critical time.

Gail Walshe, Director of Participation at Contact

This year’s grant awards follow awards of up to £15,000 each that Contact distributed last year on behalf of Pears Foundation and the DCMS to 67 local support groups.

As one of Pears Foundation’s trusted, long-term partners Contact was chosen to award and distribute each grant to individual support groups to ensure funding gets to front line organisations and their communities.