Local families in Dumfriesshire are set to benefit from just over £105,000 of funding that has been awarded to Aberlour Child Care Trust. The money is coming from Corra Foundation’s Partnership Drugs Initiative and will help pay for a family outreach service in Annan and Stranraer.
Ken Dunbar, Chief Executive of Aberlour said, “Everyone agrees that children should be able to grow up feeling safe and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. We find the best way of making this a reality is to work with whole families where children are affected by issues like parental substance misuse. Aberlour Child Care Trust already uses this model of supporting vulnerable families in a number of areas of Scotland, including Dumfries. Along with its other services this means that over 6,000 children benefit from support across Scotland every year.”
Service Manager, Amanda McAllister commented, “This funding will help us provide support for up to 25 vulnerable families in Annan and Stranraer. Our work is often intensive, involving supporting families in their own homes, addressing simple things like making sure children eat regular meals which can have a huge impact on their ability to do well at school. Much of the support we offer is aimed at helping parents manage their substance misuse, increasing awareness of the impact that substance misuse has on their children, and to improve their parenting skills. This leads to long term change for the whole family, giving the children a much better chance in life.”
Mary Craig OBE, Chief Executive of Corra Foundation, said: “The tailored support that will be offered to local families means that parents are much more likely to be able to make the long term changes that will have a positive impact on their children. It is easy for any parent to feel like they aren’t coping, and having drug or alcohol misuse in the mix as well can result in children growing up in a fairly chaotic environment. The support Aberlour puts in place helps families get back on an even keel and get a good structure in place, which makes life better for everyone involved. These changes aren’t easy to make, which is why intensive support is needed and that can be expensive, but the positive, long term benefits mean it is money well spent.”
This is Aberlour’s fifth Partnership Drugs Initiative award in Dumfries & Galloway, bringing the total support for work in the area to over £740,000. Across Scotland the Foundation has awarded over £1.7m for Aberlour’s work.
