Families facing child poverty in Stockton will receive practical help closer to home thanks to a £60,000 grant from The Freemasons’ Charity, awarded through Durham Freemasons.
The funding will help Stockton Citizens Advice establish a new Community Connectors service, bringing trained advisers into familiar places where families already meet and seek support, including Family Hubs, nurseries, schools, toddler groups and perinatal services.
Over two years, the project aims to reach 1,350 beneficiaries, helping families improve their financial stability, address difficulties before they become crises and give children better opportunities.
Tom Gittins, Assistant Head of Durham Freemasons, visited Stockton Citizens Advice to meet Chief Executive Sarah McPhie and discuss the award and the difference it will make to local families.
Sarah McPhie, Chief Executive of Stockton Citizens Advice, said:
“This funding will help us reach families with children from birth to five, offering advice and support with challenges such as household finances, relationships and energy bills.
“It will support a key member of staff to work directly in Family Hubs, playgroups and other places where parents of young children already go. By taking our service into the community, we can help families understand the support they are entitled to and access it sooner.”
Community Connectors will carry out benefit checks, help families complete applications, resolve practical problems and arrange referrals to specialist services. Families needing further support will receive follow up appointments or ongoing casework.
Working alongside midwives, health visitors and other local partners, the service will make it easier to identify families who need help and connect them with advice at an early stage.
Sarah added:
“Increasing household income can make an enormous difference to families experiencing poverty, but money alone does not solve every challenge. This project will allow us to work alongside other local services, bringing support around the whole family and helping give children a better start in life.”
The approach builds on the charity’s experience of a similar project across nine local schools. That service supported 387 families and unlocked £240,000 in additional income. Participating schools reported improved attendance and fewer crisis referrals.
A former teacher and head teacher in Stockton, Tom now serves as a trustee of Stockton Citizens Advice, bringing more than 25 years of experience working with children and families in the borough.
Tom said:
“Having worked across three schools serving very different communities, I have seen the pressures that families face and the effect these can have on children’s lives and education.
“As a trustee, I want to use that experience to help Stockton Citizens Advice reach families who need support. Bringing advice into familiar community settings can make a real difference, not only to children and their parents, but also to the grandparents and others who help care for them.
“The application was made before I became a trustee, and I only learnt about it after the grant had been awarded. I was absolutely delighted, both as a trustee and as a Durham Freemason, to see this support for an organisation whose work is changing lives in our community.”
The Freemasons’ Charity will be the project’s main funding partner, providing just under half of its total costs. Stockton Citizens Advice is also discussing a possible contribution with the local authority’s public health team and will meet the remaining costs from its own resources.
By taking advice into trusted community settings, the project aims to build parental confidence, reduce financial pressures and help families find support before problems become overwhelming.
