£59.2m family support investment to strengthen help for Antrim and Ballymena families
Together for Families launch at St Comgall's Belfast. L-R: Paul Sweeney, Northern Ireland Chair, The National Lottery Community Fund; Naomi Long MLA Minister of Justice; Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director, The National Lottery Community Fund; Robbie Butler MLA Minister of Health; Jacinta Linden, Together for Families Co-Director; Eilis McDaniel, Director of Social Care Reform, Department of Health; Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, Emma Little-Pengelly MLA, deputy First Minister; Michelle O’Neill MLA, First Minister; Sarah Owen MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Thursday 17 September 2026
Families across Antrim and Ballymena are set to benefit from a major £59.2 million programme aimed at getting practical help to parents and children earlier — before problems escalate to crisis point.
The Antrim/Ballymena Family Support Hub is among 29 hubs across Northern Ireland which will receive additional resources through the newly launched Together for Families programme.
The initiative will also create new services for families who need more intensive help but do not meet the threshold for statutory social care intervention, while expanding support designed to help keep children safely with their families.
Earlier help for families
Together for Families brings together the Department of Health, The National Lottery Community Fund, Health and Social Care Trusts and the voluntary and community sector, with the aim of making support easier to access and better co-ordinated.
The programme is backed by £30 million from The National Lottery Community Fund and £29.2 million from the Northern Ireland Public Sector Transformation Fund, provided by the UK Government. The Lottery funding represents the organisation’s largest single investment in Northern Ireland to date.
For families locally, one of the most immediate changes will be additional resources for the Antrim/Ballymena Family Support Hub, which connects parents and children with appropriate services and early help in their communities.
Pressure on children’s services
The investment comes against a backdrop of growing pressure on children’s social care. There were 4,188 children in care across Northern Ireland in March 2025, while admissions to care had increased by 24% since 2020/21.
The Department of Health says that, without change, the number of looked-after children is projected to rise by a further 18% — around 750 children — by 2029.
Health Minister Robbie Butler speaking at the launch of Together for Families
Health Minister Robbie Butler said the programme represented an opportunity to improve children’s life chances and help families before difficulties become more serious.
“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 the 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.”
New level of support
First Minister Michelle O’Neill speaking at the launch of Together for Families
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speaking at the launch of Together for Families
Alongside strengthening existing Family Support Hubs, the programme will establish 15 Enhanced Family Support Services — three in each of Northern Ireland’s five Health and Social Care Trust areas.
These will be aimed at families whose needs go beyond the support currently available through Family Support Hubs, but who do not meet the threshold for intervention by statutory children’s social care services.
Additional investment will also expand intensive family support for children already known to social services who are at risk of entering care, as well as helping children already in care to return home safely where appropriate.
The programme also includes plans for a Family Support Services List to help connect families referred through multi-agency panels with services appropriate to their needs.
Support before breaking point
Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, said earlier intervention could make a significant difference to families.
“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 to understand that because they have built relationships over many years and are often the first place people turn when they need help.”
A parent’s experience
Some of those gathered for the launch of Together for Families
The importance of making services easier to navigate was highlighted by Co Armagh parent Clare, who works in the voluntary and community family support sector and has an 11-year-old autistic son.
“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.”
Funding applications now open
Applications have now opened for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations interested in delivering one or more of the 15 new Enhanced Family Support Services.
The Department of Health says organisations should have extensive experience of supporting families with complex needs. Applications must be submitted by 5pm on Friday 30 October 2026.
Mr Butler encouraged eligible organisations to consider applying, describing the Enhanced Family Support Services as one of the key elements of the wider programme.
For families in Antrim and Ballymena, the changes are intended to mean more help available through existing community-based services and a clearer route to additional support when needs become more complex — with the wider aim of intervening before families reach crisis point.
