Barnet Council invests in the borough's children and youngsters

Families and children in Barnet will receive more support thanks to council funding. A range of services will now be made available for children from birth to 19, including help for families with disabled members.

Some 13 schemes are to be funded by Barnet Council that will provide more help and support for children up until they turn 19. A total of £2.5 million is being spent on funding programmes such as community coaches, helping young carers and providing assistance for parents with disabled children. The services will be funded over the next three years throughout the borough.

All of the schemes use the Early Intervention approach, which has been tested by many institutions. The idea is to provide the emotional and social support to children that they will require as they grow up. Private and public sector organisations, along with several charities are delivering the schemes that will run until March 2016.

The programmes are to be split into three different categories: activity clubs, activities and support for children and young people, and support for parents and families and raising the standards of childcare.

The schemes that will help to provide support and activities for children include things like counselling and mentoring, a range of activities and a mentoring scheme. The mentoring scheme will allow young people to receive training to act as role models to others.

Councillor Reuben Thompstone, cabinet member for Education, Children and Families, said: “Research has shown that by intervening early we can help children and young people reach their potential instead of stepping in at a later stage.

“Our community coaching scheme has already been successful in supporting some of our most vulnerable families to find a way through their problems by volunteers from the same community as the people they are coaching. We will now be expanding this scheme to other families across the borough.

“By continuing to invest in early intervention we are helping give children and young people the best start in life as well as saving on more costly solutions later down the line.”

 

Published 30th July, 2013

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