Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington and a strong supporter of Family Fund, has welcomed the announcement that it will receive £27.3 million in annual funding from the Department for Education for three years from 2017-18.
Tom Brake, who met recently with local families who have benefitted from Family Fund’s support, said:
“Family Fund is a fantastic charity that supports some of the most vulnerable children and families in Carshalton and Wallington. I congratulate the charity on the good news and I am delighted that this longer term funding commitment will give the charity some stability for the next few years.”
Family Fund works in Sutton and the rest of the UK supporting families and children. It is the UK’s largest charity providing grants for low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children. In 2015-16, Family Fund supported 58,621 families in England.
Families can apply for grants for items that will ease the day-to-day pressures that many families face raising a disabled child or young person, such as kitchen appliances, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, tablets and computers, and family breaks.
Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive of Family Fund, said “This significant commitment from the Department for Education will make an incredible difference to the families we support and we are thrilled.
“Our grants provide practical and essential support and help improve the quality of life and ease some of the additional daily pressures faced by many families.
“The security of three years’ of funding allows Family Fund to plan ahead to deliver our grants and services with confidence and, most importantly, will mean a reliable source of support for families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people across England. We will work hard to ensure this funding supports as many families as possible.”
The funding will cover 2017-18 to 2019-20 inclusive. Families can find out more about grants and support available from Family Fund at www.familyfund.org.uk or by calling 01904 550055.
