The third round of the fund will allow charities and voluntary organisations in 23 areas of the country to apply for funding for projects that help strengthen troubled family relationships and provide support.
Honor Rhodes, the institute's director of development, said, 'We are delighted that there will be a Parenting Fund round three. The first two rounds showed us all how much can be achieved by the voluntary sector, working in such imaginative ways with families.
'This new fund will allow new ideas for effective work with families to be tested. We are looking forward to seeing lots of applications. Some projects will develop services for children affected by violence, and we are really delighted that the importance of the parental couple relationship is identified as a key concern.'
Organisations that apply for the fund, which has helped around 1.5 million people since 2004 (News, 21 October 2004), must meet the broad criteria - providing projects that strengthen existing parental and family relationships, promote active and positive fatherhood, offer interventions to vulnerable children and encourage inclusion and equality.
In the last phase, similar projects included work to support fathers in areas of Derby, schemes to maximise the potential of children with conditions that affect their social, sensory, communication, motor and learning abilities, and plans to help grandparents acting as carers.
Successful applicants will receive funding in April 2009 to run their projects for two years. The deadline for applications is Friday 12 December.
Further information
www.familyandparenting.org/parentingfundfunding.