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<p>Government is committed to building a shared society that works for everyone and
it is important to build and strengthen the bonds of the family unit. DCMS is running
a number of programmes that contribute to strengthening families. These include the
Early Years Social Action Fund and Community Organisers Programme.</p><p> </p><p>The
£1 million Early Years Social Action Fund is a joint partnership between Nesta and
the Office for Civil Society and will focus on supporting families in need.. The fund
aims to help more children aged four and under, achieve their developmental milestones
through social action. The fund is backing projects where social action will build
the confidence and knowledge of parents and primary carers, to support their children
to achieve their developmental milestones ahead of their fifth birthday.</p><p> </p><p>Community
Organisers act as local leaders, bringing people together to take action on the things
they all care about. The original programme (2011-15) trained 6,500 individuals who
built relationships and inspired local communities to deliver positive social change.
Communities were supported to kick start over 2,000 community projects and our evaluation
has shown us that 84% of the projects focused on connecting people together, including
neighbours, residents, families and vulnerable people. In 2017 we launched the Community
Organisers Expansion Programme which aims to further increase the number of Community
Organisers trained to 10,000 by 2020.</p><p> </p><p>DCMS also has responsibility for
Libraries, which change lives for the better. They not only provide access to books
and other literature but also help people to help themselves and improve their opportunities,
bring people together, and provide practical support and guidance. As a locally accountable
service, they are well-placed to respond to local needs and issues.</p><p> </p><p>Libraries
can have a critical role in helping people to realise their potential, and especially
those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Libraries provide vital support to families
in developing children’s language and reading skills and confidence from early years
onwards They also run numerous activities like book groups, code clubs, discussion
groups and events for children and families. Libraries are places where communities
and individuals can develop, share ideas and learn together, and libraries are actively
looking at how they could offer more and different family learning opportunities.
Alongside a report ( The Experiential Library: the future of family learning) The
Society of Chief Librarians has created a toolkit to help libraries deliver family
learning and is running events to help library services to share experiences to deliver
this effectively.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Sport England is supporting families
through its Families Fund, a new investment of up to £40m into projects which offer
new opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport together.</p>
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