The area’s Cedar (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery) programme has been granted £388,253 from the Big Lottery Fund, allowing it to run for another three years.
Councillor Gail Casey, chair of the West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership Board (HSCP), said this week:
“I am delighted that the West Dunbartonshire Cedar Project has been awarded this significant funding from the Big Lottery Fund, which will allow us to continue developing the service as part our violence against women strategy.
“By providing direct support to victims of domestic abuse and educating young people about how to develop positive relationships, the project is already making an impact in West Dunbartonshire.
“Through strong joint working between the HSCP, the police, education and the third sector a number of exciting new initiatives will now be developed across both child and adult services.”
Notes:
The CEDAR (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery) programme, has been running in West Dunbartonshire since 2012 and is managed by the Health and Social Care Partnership. Since being set up almost 100 children and more than 50 mothers/primary carers have been provided with support.
The project works with children and young people in the community (aged 4 -16 years) who are experiencing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties as a consequence of their experience of domestic abuse. CEDAR supports children and young people to develop skills to cope with a range of issues which directly relate to their experiences of domestic abuse, the key theme being to promote individual and family resilience.
In addition, support to mothers / primary carers is offered to assist them in understanding the impact of domestic abuse can have on the social, emotional and psychological development of children.
Support is provided once families have moved on from the abusive experience; the CEDAR approach being aimed at promoting reintegration and building resilience with families who have experienced domestic abuse.
The overall aims of the CEDAR programme are;
- to promote communication between primary carer and child,
- to enable mother’s and primary carers to see the experience of domestic abuse through the child’s eyes,
- To support a mother or primary carer to feel confident when talking with the child in their care about the child’s experience of domestic abuse.
West Dunbartonshire Councillor Martin Rooney 