Children benefit from £61m fund

The money is to support children's services

Children living in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland are to benefit from a £61m government package.

NI Secretary Peter Hain said £20m would go directly to schools to develop before and after school activities.

In addition, he has allocated £14.5m to support voluntary and community groups in their work with disadvantaged children.

Speaking at Girls' Model School in Belfast on Tuesday, Mr Hain said the money would make a "real difference".

More than £12m will be spent on children with special needs and disabilities.

Mr Hain said the money had been raised through the rates increase coming into effect next month.

One of the major benefits of the fund would be the repositioning of schools as social hubs in communities across Northern Ireland, he said.

"Schools shouldn't just be for pupils. With facilities such as computer rooms and sports fields they offer the prospect of so much more for their neighbourhoods," Mr Hain said.

"We need to extend their opening hours. I want to see schools offering themselves as the venue for an integrated package of education, health and care."

The funding was welcomed by children's charity, Barnardo's Northern Ireland.

Welcome

Director Lynda Wilson said the money could build effective services for children and young people.

"We can see the potential for organisations like ourselves of working in a school setting and we believe that the funding proposed to support schools is one of the most effective ways of helping children to achieve their potential," Mrs Wilson said.

SDLP equality spokesperson Patricia Lewsley said Mr Hain was following up on the work during devolution on the Executive Programme Fund for Children.

She said this was a most important innovation.

"We need to know whether the additional allocation for community and voluntary work with disadvantaged children can be used to save existing projects which are under threat for lack of funds," she said.

Range

The £61m Children and Young People's package will fund a wide range of services, including pre-school provision, therapy, support for children in care and child protection.

It includes £10m a year to allow schools to provide services like breakfast and homework clubs and after-school music and arts clubs.

The funding, which will go directly to schools, will be made available year on year.

It is targeted at marginalised and disadvantaged areas.

The package includes:

• £20m direct to schools for before and after school activities
• £3.5m for counselling services
• £10.8m for Sure Start including pre-school provision
• £5.6m for additional support for children in care
• £1.7m for youth outreach to marginalised young people
• £4m for child protection
• £12.5m for services for children with special needs and disabilities