A major new partnership to transform early support for families across Northern Ireland has been formally launched, backed by a £59.2 million investment that represents the largest single commitment ever made by The National Lottery Community Fund in the region. Together for Families brings together government, health services, and the voluntary sector to help families access practical, co-ordinated support before problems reach crisis point.
The initiative comes at a critical moment for children’s services in Northern Ireland, with official statistics showing 4,188 children in care as of March 2025—the highest number since records began in 1995—and admissions to care up by 24% since 2020/21. Without intervention, the looked-after population is projected to grow by as much as 18% by 2029.
How the funding breaks down
The £59.2 million investment comprises:
- £30 million from The National Lottery Community Fund—its largest ever single investment in Northern Ireland
- £29.2 million from the Northern Ireland Public Sector Transformation Fund, provided by the UK Government
The programme will operate across four key elements:
- Strengthened Family Support Hubs: The existing 29 hubs across Northern Ireland will receive additional investment to help families connect with local services and get early help in their communities
- Enhanced Family Support Services: Three new services in each of the five Health and Social Care Trust areas, providing targeted support for families who need help but don’t meet the threshold for statutory social care intervention
- Intensive Family Support Service: Additional investment in direct support from Trusts to families with children at risk of coming into care, or to support the safe return of children already in care
- Our Pact: A new children and families charter, designed in partnership with children, young people, parents and carers, to ensure they are respected, heard, informed and involved in decisions about their lives
The application process for organisations to deliver the 15 Enhanced Family Support Services has now opened, with further details available on the Department of Health’s website.
What political leaders are saying
First Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the launch, emphasising the Programme for Government commitment to improving lives and giving every child the best possible start:
“I’m really pleased to welcome Together for Families, which reflects our Programme for Government commitment to improving people’s lives and giving every child the best possible start. We know that getting help early can make a real difference to children and families, providing support when they need it most and helping prevent problems from becoming more serious.
“Backed by £29.2 million from the Executive’s Public Sector Transformation Fund, Together for Families will bring services together and make it easier for families to get support when they need it in their own communities.
“For me, this is what transformation is about, doing things differently where we can, working together to support parents through difficult times and making a real difference to the lives of children and families across our communities.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly described the project as “truly transformative”:
“Too many children continue to face disadvantage and challenge. This new £60m project is a truly transformative way forward, and one designed to bring about life-changing interventions.
“I want every single child in Northern Ireland to thrive, to reach their potential and to live happy and healthy lives no matter what their economic circumstance or challenges. This investment can unlock that future for so many of our young people.
“It supports families before crisis point. It will work holistically to support and it will wrap around so many families to help them to not only survive, but to truly thrive.
“It does this by working on the ground, but in a joined up way. It is an incredibly exciting collaboration between Government and the National Lottery Community Fund.
“What makes this programme particularly exciting is the way it puts families at the heart of how services work together. By breaking down the barriers between organisations and joining up support in our communities, we can give children and parents the help they need, when it can make the greatest difference.”
Health Minister Robbie Butler highlighted the opportunity to improve life chances while keeping families together:
“I commend and warmly welcome this significant investment provided by both the National Lottery Community Fund and the Public Sector Transformation Fund.
“At a time when children’s services are under increasing pressure, this is a huge opportunity to improve the life chances of children and families across Northern Ireland, with the key aim of keeping families safely together, rather than apart.
“Together for Families reflects a shared determination to work differently, bringing partners together across the system, both statutory and voluntary and community sector, with a clear focus on delivering better outcomes for children and families. We are at the start of this journey, but we can, and must, deliver for the children across Northern Ireland who need this support. I am committed to doing just that.”
UK Government Minister for Northern Ireland Sarah Owen attended the launch and said:
“We all want more for the next generation and the first few years of a child’s life are the most important for their development and securing a bright future for every child, from every walk of life.
“This is why the UK Government is proud to have contributed £29.2 million to this fantastic project. Alongside £30 million from The National Lottery Community Fund, this is a huge investment for Northern Ireland.
“It is a fantastic example of how we can build an even stronger society and happier families in every neighbourhood.”
The National Lottery Community Fund perspective
Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, emphasised the potential for meaningful change:
“This opportunity has the potential to deliver real, meaningful change where it is needed most, transforming support for families now while strengthening the wider system for the long term. Families across Northern Ireland will be able to get the right support earlier before the challenges they face reach breaking point.
“We know from the projects we already fund, and from years of listening to local communities, that targeted early intervention can make the greatest difference. Families want support that is compassionate, accessible and relevant to their lives.
“Community organisations are best placed and understand that, because they have built relationships over many years and are often the first place people turn when they need help.
“We are proud to be working collaboratively with the Department of Health, the Health Trusts and the voluntary and community sector to deliver a step change in family support across Northern Ireland.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can fund life-changing work that helps families in the here and now and creates lasting improvements for the future.”
Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, also spoke at the launch event, having previously described the initiative as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the life chances of children and families.”
A parent’s perspective
Clare, a Co Armagh parent who works in the voluntary and community family support sector and has an 11-year-old autistic son, shared her experience:
“Even as a professional working in family support, I have found it difficult at times to know where to go, who to speak to, and how to get the right support joined up around my son.
“As a parent, you are trying your best every day, but it can feel exhausting when you have to keep telling your story and finding your way through different services.
“Families need help that is easier to access and built around real life. What gives me hope about Together for Families is the focus on support coming earlier and feeling more connected, that will make a real difference to parents like me and families across Northern Ireland.”
Context and critical questions
The launch of Together for Families arrives against a backdrop of sustained pressure on Northern Ireland’s children’s social care system. The latest official statistics show that at 31 March 2025, 22,243 children were known to social services as children in need, 2,283 were on the Child Protection Register, and the 4,188 children in care represented a 2% increase on the previous year and the highest figure since the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 came into force.
The programme’s emphasis on early intervention and keeping families together reflects lessons from research showing that children in care often experience poorer outcomes across multiple measures, though they frequently make better progress than children in need who remain outside the care system. The NSPCC notes that many children in care have experienced abuse, neglect or other trauma, and that separation from family and friends, educational instability, and placement changes can compound these challenges.
Several questions remain as the programme moves from launch to implementation:
- How will success be measured, and what safeguards will ensure families receive consistent quality of support across all five Health and Social Care Trust areas?
- Given that 28% of looked-after children in Northern Ireland have special educational needs compared to 7% of the general child population, how will the programme specifically address the intersection of disability and family support?
- With the voluntary and community sector already stretched, how will organisations be supported to scale up delivery without compromising the relationship-based approaches that make their work effective?
- What provisions are in place to ensure rural and geographically isolated families can access services as easily as those in urban centres?
- How will the programme learn from and adapt to implementation challenges, given that previous family support initiatives have seen variable success across different regions?
What happens next
The formal launch on 14 September 2026 marks the beginning of a multi-year programme that will roll out across Northern Ireland over the coming months. Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations with experience of supporting families with complex needs can now apply to deliver Enhanced Family Support Services.
The programme will operate alongside existing structures including the 38 Sure Start projects, which from April 2025 have been expanding outreach services to families outside their traditional catchment areas. Together for Families represents a significant test of whether cross-sector partnership and early intervention can bend the curve on rising care admissions—and whether the investment can create sustainable system change rather than temporary relief.