Supporting birth parents whose child(ren) have been permanently removed from their care
Managed by the Corra Foundation, this Scottish Government fund aims to improve support for birth parents who no longer have care of their children on a permanent basis as a result of child protection processes. Funding will be awarded to organisations that are already working directly with birth parents who are or have been subject to Child Protection proceedings.
The fund is focused on community-based organisations with significant experience in supporting birth parents affected by child protection proceedings and which deliver frontline services. It is intended to help these organisations to sustain, stabilise or increase capacity, extend or improve services and/or meet identified gaps in service provision.
Projects applying to this fund must be able to demonstrate that they will take a relational, trauma responsive service which is unconditional and reflective of the unique and complex needs birth parents may have.
The fund is divided into two strands:
- Diagnostic route: up to £50,000 for work that:
- Enables organisations to scope the issues and barriers that affect how birth parents are supported after child protection proceedings have concluded and children have been permanently removed from their care.
- Identifies needs and gaps in the system that surrounds support for birth parents.
- Co-produces ideas with birth parents who have experience of the child protection system.
- Conducts small tests of change.
2. Action route: up to £100,000 for work that facilitates:
- Upscaling, securing or implementation of service provision on a larger scale, allowing organisations to secure or sustain existing service provision.
- Delivery of new bespoke intensive support services to address a known and evidenced gap, or services like peer support or advocacy support or grief and trauma counselling.
- Implementation of a systems change projects supporting parents, with radical changes to protocol and practice. This would be a workforce development type approach.