2024/25 Parent Peer Support Fund now open for applications
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has today launched the 2024/25 Parent Peer Support Fund. The fund is open to organisations working with parents and/or children and young people to facilitate the development of parent peer support projects.
A total of €75,000 was distributed among 37 organisations under the 2023/24 Parent Peer Support Fund. This funding facilitated delivery of parent peer support projects by organisations who provide a diverse range of services such as domestic violence, kinship care, breast-feeding, disability, and migrant supports.
This year, the total funding available has increased to €100,000 and a new tier of funding has been introduced for applicants.
• Tier 1 will provide grants of €2,000 to 37 successful applicants who either currently operate, or wish to establish a new parent peer support project.
• Tier 2 will provide grants of €5,000 to 5 successful applicants who wish to scale up an existing parent peer support project, which is already having a positive impact on parents.
Speaking today Minister O’Gorman commented:
“I am delighted to launch the 2024/25 Parent Peer Support Fund. I am keenly aware of the value that this particular funding brings to organisations who work with parents, children, and young people”.
“Parent led peer-to-peer support initiatives promote the sharing of information, increase parents’ empowerment and improve parental wellbeing”. It is for these reasons, that I was eager to ensure that the level of support available to services through the Parent Peer Support Fund were expanded again this year. Increasing the total fund value from €75,000 to €100,000, along with the introduction of a second tier of enhanced financial assistance, specifically for established peer support projects, helps to ensure that my department will continue to enable organisations to deliver high quality peer support initiatives for parents & carers across the country”.
How to apply
Please find link to application forms for the €2,000 and €5,000 funding tiers, along with the funding Guidance and Terms and Conditions here.
For enquiries please contact: parentingsupport@equality.gov.ie
ENDS
Supporting Parents: A National Model of Parenting Support Services was developed in accordance with a commitment in First 5, A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and Their Families 2019-2028. The model was developed by a collaborative working group led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), with input from a wide range of stakeholders from across Government Departments, agencies and community and voluntary organisations.
The introduction of the Parent Peer Support Fund builds on commitments set out in Supporting Parents: A National Model of Parent Support Services, through the provision of funding for the enhancement and promotion of supports to assist parents.
The fund was first launched in 2022 and provided grants of €2,000 to 25 services. The 2023/24 round of funding was increased to provide grants of €2,000 to a total of 37 services.
This year, the total value of the fund has increased from €75,000 to €100,000 which will provide grants to 42 services. 2 tiers of funding will be provided under the 2024/25 Parent Peer Support Fund.
• Tier 1 will provide 37 grants of €2,000 to services seeking to set up new parent peer support projects, while Tier 2 will provide 5 grants of €5,000 to services who wish to scale up an existing parent peer support project, which is already having a positive impact on parents.
Queries can be directed to the Parenting Support Policy Unit by email to: parentingsupport@equality.gov.ie