Big Lottery Scotland has announced support for 20 organisations that support families

Projects that aim to prevent domestic abuse in Scotland have received a funding boost.

Big Lottery Scotland has announced that £3.9 million will be invested in initiatives that support families.

The cash will be split between 20 groups, many of which will work to create safe spaces for families, children and young people facing a range of issues including poverty, imprisonment, domestic abuse and childhood cancer.

Families Outside was one of the organisations that will benefit, gaining an award of £299,667 to support 600 families.

The organisation, which provides emotional and practical support to families of people involved in the criminal justice system, will be able to expand its regional family support service and provide new peer to peer led support sessions for families.

Chief executive Nancy Loucks said: “The grant not only sustains the essential support we can provide to the most vulnerable families in Glasgow and North Strathclyde but also supports the development of new work promoting peer support for children and young people with a family member in prison.

“Such work creates an essential safe space for families to talk about their experiences, helping them to process and address traumas they feel they cannot speak about with anyone else."

Team Jak, which provides practical and emotional support to children and young people with cancer and related illnesses receives £262,222 towards their new family base, Jaks Den mark 2, in Livingston.

Allison Barr, founder and chief executive, Team Jak, said: “We are absolutely over the moon to receive this fabulous award, which is literally life changing for us. This award gives us the money we need to complete our Jaks Den mark 2 in Livingston which provides practical social and emotional support to children and young people with cancer age 0-25 and their families and friends and those bereaved. It will also allow us to install counselling pods to enable us to meet our ever increasing need for emotional support.”

Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “Whether dealing with the aftermath of someone going to prison, living with the emotional and psychological effects of domestic abuse or coming to terms with a child’s life limiting illness, these projects will make a real difference to hundreds of families, children and young people across Scotland. These National Lottery funds really are life changing and will have a positive impact for people who need our help the most.”