New £14m Innovation Fund to support Separated Families

The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) will shortly be launching a new £14m Innovation Fund across Great Britain. It will support separated families and help them to collaborate in the best interests of their children. The two key objectives of this new Innovation Fund are to:

1. increase the number of children benefiting from child maintenance arrangements by reducing conflict and improving collaboration between separated and separating parents. This will be achieved by developing effective interventions that help parents work together to make their own arrangements and avoid using the Courts or the Child Support Agency.
2. test a wide range of interventions to understand what is effective in encouraging collaboration and reducing conflict amongst separating and separated parents. They will develop an evidence base of the most effective interventions across the spectrum of help and support available, ie from intensive couple therapy to web based guidance and support.

Following publication of the full procurement documentation during week commencing 16 July 2012, the DWP will be holding events in London (24 July), Cardiff (25 July) and Edinburgh (27 July) to explain the Innovation Fund requirements more fully and to answer questions from interested bidders.

For more information and to register an interest in attending one of the events, visit the DWP website.