Hartlepool awarded £595,000 levelling up funding to help vulnerable families
The town is to get £595,800 this year through the Government’s £200million Supporting Families programme to give families tailored support and interventions before serious problems develop.
It is part of £12.3m for the North East announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that will go to local councils.
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Hide AdThe cash is aimed to ensure they can level up key local services to help families combat problems such as unemployment, financial insecurity, risk of homelessness and educational inequality.
Kemi Badenoch, Minister for Levelling up Communities, said: “As a society we must help the most vulnerable in our communities and the government is focused on giving families the support they need to build a better future.
“Our Supporting Families programme in the North East plays an integral role as we recover from the pandemic, making sure children get back to school, helping those who have lost their jobs get back into work, protecting people’s mental health and stopping domestic abuse.”
Dedicated key workers work with every member of a family to bring local services together to resolve issues at an early stage before they develop into more significant problems.
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Hide AdFamilies are also supported to leave abusive relationships, receive joined-up support for mental health issues and help people find work.
Up to 4,000 vulnerable families across the North East will be helped thanks to the funding, says the Government.
Durham County Council has helped nearly 6,000 families through the Supporting Families Programme since it was launched in 2015.
Funding has been used to give money advice, help children and young people back into school, support parents with challenges, reduce violence and conflict within the home, reduce antisocial behaviour and develop digital resources for families.
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Hide AdLevelling Up Secretary Michael Gove was in the area last week when he visited Sunderland as part of the Government’s levelling up strategy to improve services such as education, broadband and transport between now and 2030.
But Easington Labour MP Grahame Morris has accused the strategy of being too little too late saying: “The Conservative Party has been in Government for 12 years.
"For over a decade they have had the opportunity to level-up the regions and left behind areas of the UK.”