Vulnerable families set to benefit from£95k
AN organisation which is a ‘lifeline’ to some of North Glasgow’s most vulnerable families has been given a cash boost thanks to The Big Lottery Fund.
Maryhill Mobile Children’s Services, which operates out of Avenue Park Street, received £95,750.
The money will be used to improve the organisation’s respite service which supports vulnerable families in the area.
The service allows for respite care for children aged up to three years and is designed to help families facing challenging circumstances.
Those families, who are dealing with a wide range of issues including mental health, addiction and isolation, are referred to the service from partner agencies including the NHS and Glasgow City Council’s social work. The families can receive anything up to 12 hours of child care each week from the service which runs weekday mornings.
Sharon Roulston, finance and funding administrator of Maryhill Mobile Children’s Services, said: “We are a lifeline. I can see it in some of the cases that we are the only lifeline that helps the families get through this early stage.
“Everything that happens in the early years of a child’s life provides the foundation for their whole lives so the intervention we provide is vital.”
Single family households, asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking are just some of the types of families to benefit from the service.
Around 18 families a year are supported through the service but it is hoped that more will be helped with the funding. Sharon said: “We know there is a need and demand because we have a waiting list.
“In some cases we are the only other adults who intervene. We might provide the only time the children get to form relationships with other adults.
“In other cases, our service is the only time the child and parent have respite from each other.”
She added: “We want to say a big thank you to the National Lottery players and to the Big Lottery Fund for having the confidence in us to deliver this project.”