CiNI call for urgent restoration of Core Grant funding
On 11th October 2023, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) brought together all five main political parties, the Department of Health, and over twenty Community and Voluntary Sector organisations affected by the Core Grant funding cut. Our Policy Officer, Dr Ernest Purvis, presented key findings from a recent survey of grantees, which highlights the harm that the loss of Core funding will have:
- Two thirds (68%) of respondents anticipated challenges in sustaining their current level of service due to the reduction in Core Grant funding for 2023/24;
- if Core Grant funding ceased in 2024/25, 62% indicated that they would risk collapsing; and
- consequences for people and communities include health and care needs not being met, worse health outcomes, fewer people supported, increased pressure on statutory services and direct harm to vulnerable groups (e.g. children and young people, older people, disabled people).
MLAs from all five main political parties who attended the Cross-Party Meeting support the urgent restoration of Core Grant funding and some expressed serious concerns around how the Department of Health assessed the level of impact. CiNI’s survey results clearly show that organisations and services supporting children and families will collapse if Core Grant funding is not restored. That is why we are calling on the Department to restore this funding for 2023/24 and prioritise the scheme in the 2024/25 budget and beyond.
Read our latest Policy Briefing, which includes key findings from the Core Grant Survey, here.
Watch this short video to find out more:
CiNI call for urgent restoration of Core Grant funding
On 11th October 2023, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) brought together all five main political parties, the Department of Health, and over twenty Community and Voluntary Sector organisations affected by the Core Grant funding cut. Our Policy Officer, Dr Ernest Purvis, presented key findings from a recent survey of grantees, which highlights the harm that the loss of Core funding will have:
- Two thirds (68%) of respondents anticipated challenges in sustaining their current level of service due to the reduction in Core Grant funding for 2023/24;
- if Core Grant funding ceased in 2024/25, 62% indicated that they would risk collapsing; and
- consequences for people and communities include health and care needs not being met, worse health outcomes, fewer people supported, increased pressure on statutory services and direct harm to vulnerable groups (e.g. children and young people, older people, disabled people).
MLAs from all five main political parties who attended the Cross-Party Meeting support the urgent restoration of Core Grant funding and some expressed serious concerns around how the Department of Health assessed the level of impact. CiNI’s survey results clearly show that organisations and services supporting children and families will collapse if Core Grant funding is not restored. That is why we are calling on the Department to restore this funding for 2023/24 and prioritise the scheme in the 2024/25 budget and beyond.
Read our latest Policy Briefing, which includes key findings from the Core Grant Survey, here.
Watch this short video to find out more:
