50+ Community/Voluntary Organisations call on Health Minister to Restore Core Funding
Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) have published an open letter signed by 52 Community and Voluntary Sector organisations calling on the Minister of Health, Robin Swann MLA, to urgently restore Core Grant Funding from his Department.
The funding was cut by 50% in 2023 in the absence of Ministers, which led to staff redundancies, reductions in services and some organisations no longer able to operate.
CiNI’s survey of core-funded organisations in 2023 showed that 62% would risk collapsing if the grant scheme ceased in 2024/25.
Collectively, the Community and Voluntary Sector are asking the Minister and his Department to properly value the care, support and advocacy that organisations provide for the most vulnerable people in society.
The Core Grant Scheme is a small investment that generates a huge return in helping to sustain the diverse expertise and specialist knowledge of these organisations, and without them, government would be unable to properly support those in need.
Responding to the publication of the letter, Sarah Mason, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid Federation NI, said:
“Woman’s Aid has been in receipt of funding from the Department of Health for over 35 years. The impact of this funding cut on our work will be major. It makes it more difficult for us to obtain other funding opportunities from trusts. I believe that if there was an Assembly sitting at the time, it wouldn’t have happened. There is not a brave enough politician in Northern Ireland to say we are no longer funding work on ending domestic violence.”
Alicia Toal, Chief Executive of the Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC), said:
“Without the core funding from the Department of Health, VOYPIC simply cannot be in a position to fully support children and young people in the care of the state to meaningfully be part of the ongoing, essential reform of children’s services that they have worked so hard on. They have already given so much to inform the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services, including its findings and recommendations. We need to make sure they are properly supported to be part of the next stage. We need that core funding to enable this work, to allow us to make sure young people can speak up, and that they are listened to by those making decision about their lives.”
Gareth Mulvenna, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Mindwise, said:
“Loss of funding diminishes the likelihood of Action 17 of the 10 Year Mental Health Strategy being implemented. Action 17 was an unambiguous recommendation to ‘Fully integrate (the) community and voluntary sector in mental health service delivery with a lifespan approach including the development of a protocol to make maximum use of the sector’s expertise.’ Adequate funding and a mandated and strategic cross-departmental approach to mental health will significantly enhance the ability for robust and sustainable interventions to be made on behalf of our children and young people, the next generation of citizens in NI. This cannot be done in the context of funding being removed.”
Alasdair O’Hara, Director of Stroke Association in Northern Ireland, said:
“The loss of core grant funding added to the challenges we face in delivering vital direct services for stroke survivors. Restoring this funding will help stroke survivors to thrive, not just survive, after their stroke. Our direct services support people living with communication difficulties after their stroke and provide counselling to stroke survivors and their families who are managing the often devastating emotional impact of stroke.”
Joanne Barnes, CEO of Nexus NI, said:
“The core grant provides the foundations on which we can build organisations – often contracted by Government to deliver support services to the general public – that are fit for purpose and ultimately provide robust and vital services to people who need them most. For Nexus, the core grant supports us to break the cycle of sexual abuse and abusive relationships in Northern Ireland – pervasive issues that need more attention and resource from Government, not less.”
Jacquie Richardson, Chief Executive of Positive Life NI, said:
“Positive Life is the only organisation in Northern Ireland working specifically for families and individuals living with or affected by an HIV diagnosis. The core grant enables us to keep the doors open, offers credibility as we seek funding from other sources to continue and develop services, and ensure representation for our service users with policy-makers. There is no doubt that this comparatively small grant offers the Department value for money. Its removal can only negatively and disproportionately impact an already marginalised community and result in the loss of services that currently support a severely under-resourced statutory provision.”
Thelma Abernethy, Head of Cruse Bereavement Support in NI, said:
“The core funding provided vital costs towards the overall governance for safe service delivery, which is not fully covered through the Health Trust and PHA contracts as they have been in operation for many years and do not cover Full cost recovery. The funding also enabled organisations to be actively involved with the development and review of policy, procedures, and good practise, without this funding the voice of the V&C sector will be weakened. It is critical the fund is reinstated with an open and transparent procurement process to enable the Sector to continue to deliver vital safe services.”
Deirdre O’Rawe, Director of Accord NI, said:
‘As an organisation Accord NI has been supporting couples seeking professional counselling support for over 60 years. Our local services are based on need rather than an ability to pay and our outcomes measurement indicates that Accord NI has contributed in a positive way to the happiness and well-being of many children, often very significantly, when their parents seek help in order to resolve their relationship difficulties. Research clearly shows that inter-parental conflict can damage intimate relationships and cause disruption in family life. This is even more critical for children living in situations of domestic violence or abuse. Emotionally unhealthy or dysfunctional families find the task of rearing and enabling children to be balanced and happy quite challenging and difficult. The loss of the Core Grant is having a detrimental effect on our ability to recruit and train volunteers and support struggling couples who are unable to afford private counselling.’
Koulla Yiasouma, Interim Chief Executive at Parenting Focus, said:
“The loss of the grant that supports the running cost of Parenting Focus will undoubtedly impact the stability of the infrastructure of the organisation which has strong governance and accountability, with robust policies and operational procedures. In turn this is likely to detrimentally impacting services and support for parents across NI and the opportunity for advocacy and research at a time when the NI Assembly and Executive are examining the changes in policy and legislation to ensure that parents receive the support so that all children can get the best start in life.”
You can read the open letter below:
50+ Community/Voluntary Organisations call on Health Minister to Restore Core Funding
Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) have published an open letter signed by 52 Community and Voluntary Sector organisations calling on the Minister of Health, Robin Swann MLA, to urgently restore Core Grant Funding from his Department.
The funding was cut by 50% in 2023 in the absence of Ministers, which led to staff redundancies, reductions in services and some organisations no longer able to operate.
CiNI’s survey of core-funded organisations in 2023 showed that 62% would risk collapsing if the grant scheme ceased in 2024/25.
Collectively, the Community and Voluntary Sector are asking the Minister and his Department to properly value the care, support and advocacy that organisations provide for the most vulnerable people in society.
The Core Grant Scheme is a small investment that generates a huge return in helping to sustain the diverse expertise and specialist knowledge of these organisations, and without them, government would be unable to properly support those in need.
Responding to the publication of the letter, Sarah Mason, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid Federation NI, said:
“Woman’s Aid has been in receipt of funding from the Department of Health for over 35 years. The impact of this funding cut on our work will be major. It makes it more difficult for us to obtain other funding opportunities from trusts. I believe that if there was an Assembly sitting at the time, it wouldn’t have happened. There is not a brave enough politician in Northern Ireland to say we are no longer funding work on ending domestic violence.”
Alicia Toal, Chief Executive of the Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC), said:
“Without the core funding from the Department of Health, VOYPIC simply cannot be in a position to fully support children and young people in the care of the state to meaningfully be part of the ongoing, essential reform of children’s services that they have worked so hard on. They have already given so much to inform the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services, including its findings and recommendations. We need to make sure they are properly supported to be part of the next stage. We need that core funding to enable this work, to allow us to make sure young people can speak up, and that they are listened to by those making decision about their lives.”
Gareth Mulvenna, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Mindwise, said:
“Loss of funding diminishes the likelihood of Action 17 of the 10 Year Mental Health Strategy being implemented. Action 17 was an unambiguous recommendation to ‘Fully integrate (the) community and voluntary sector in mental health service delivery with a lifespan approach including the development of a protocol to make maximum use of the sector’s expertise.’ Adequate funding and a mandated and strategic cross-departmental approach to mental health will significantly enhance the ability for robust and sustainable interventions to be made on behalf of our children and young people, the next generation of citizens in NI. This cannot be done in the context of funding being removed.”
Alasdair O’Hara, Director of Stroke Association in Northern Ireland, said:
“The loss of core grant funding added to the challenges we face in delivering vital direct services for stroke survivors. Restoring this funding will help stroke survivors to thrive, not just survive, after their stroke. Our direct services support people living with communication difficulties after their stroke and provide counselling to stroke survivors and their families who are managing the often devastating emotional impact of stroke.”
Joanne Barnes, CEO of Nexus NI, said:
“The core grant provides the foundations on which we can build organisations – often contracted by Government to deliver support services to the general public – that are fit for purpose and ultimately provide robust and vital services to people who need them most. For Nexus, the core grant supports us to break the cycle of sexual abuse and abusive relationships in Northern Ireland – pervasive issues that need more attention and resource from Government, not less.”
Jacquie Richardson, Chief Executive of Positive Life NI, said:
“Positive Life is the only organisation in Northern Ireland working specifically for families and individuals living with or affected by an HIV diagnosis. The core grant enables us to keep the doors open, offers credibility as we seek funding from other sources to continue and develop services, and ensure representation for our service users with policy-makers. There is no doubt that this comparatively small grant offers the Department value for money. Its removal can only negatively and disproportionately impact an already marginalised community and result in the loss of services that currently support a severely under-resourced statutory provision.”
Thelma Abernethy, Head of Cruse Bereavement Support in NI, said:
“The core funding provided vital costs towards the overall governance for safe service delivery, which is not fully covered through the Health Trust and PHA contracts as they have been in operation for many years and do not cover Full cost recovery. The funding also enabled organisations to be actively involved with the development and review of policy, procedures, and good practise, without this funding the voice of the V&C sector will be weakened. It is critical the fund is reinstated with an open and transparent procurement process to enable the Sector to continue to deliver vital safe services.”
Deirdre O’Rawe, Director of Accord NI, said:
‘As an organisation Accord NI has been supporting couples seeking professional counselling support for over 60 years. Our local services are based on need rather than an ability to pay and our outcomes measurement indicates that Accord NI has contributed in a positive way to the happiness and well-being of many children, often very significantly, when their parents seek help in order to resolve their relationship difficulties. Research clearly shows that inter-parental conflict can damage intimate relationships and cause disruption in family life. This is even more critical for children living in situations of domestic violence or abuse. Emotionally unhealthy or dysfunctional families find the task of rearing and enabling children to be balanced and happy quite challenging and difficult. The loss of the Core Grant is having a detrimental effect on our ability to recruit and train volunteers and support struggling couples who are unable to afford private counselling.’
Koulla Yiasouma, Interim Chief Executive at Parenting Focus, said:
“The loss of the grant that supports the running cost of Parenting Focus will undoubtedly impact the stability of the infrastructure of the organisation which has strong governance and accountability, with robust policies and operational procedures. In turn this is likely to detrimentally impacting services and support for parents across NI and the opportunity for advocacy and research at a time when the NI Assembly and Executive are examining the changes in policy and legislation to ensure that parents receive the support so that all children can get the best start in life.”
You can read the open letter below:
