An investment of over $300,000 is being made to support children and youth in Northumberland County.
Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director, Rebound Child and Youth Services Northumberland said at the announcement Friday (May 29) that they believe this funding is extremely timely, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mental health issues, poverty and domestic violence are placing increased pressures on the children, youth and families of our County.
David Piccini, MPP Northumberland-Peterborough South, announced this significant investment from the Government of Ontario. Piccini thanks to the signing partners and referring partners for coming together to support this important program.
Rebound Child and Youth Services Northumberland is receiving $309,600 over 36 months from the provincial government to scale-up the Collaborative 12 and Under Inter-sectoral Partnership (CUIP) program.
The grant will help the program serve more at-risk children and expand the geographic reach of the program to under-served rural communities throughout Northumberland. Piccini says this announcement is close to his heart.
Its been a labour of love for the partners involved, including all three area police services, Five Counties Children’s Centre, YMCA Northumberland, Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre, Highland Shores Children’s Aid, Therapeutic Family Care and Northumberland County, as well as both school boards as referring partners to the program.
This initiative will support the positive development of children and youth 12 and under who are facing barriers develop strong emotional and social skills.
The program has run successfully in Cobourg for the last 18 months and the province’s investment is expected to have an impact the lives of 405 children and youth in the community.
It will help enable both children and their families to receive support, which can include: mental health services, recreational programs, counselling, mentorship, literacy, as well as trauma informed practice for families experiencing domestic violence.
There has been an increased demand for this program across Northumberland County, with over 100 young people being identified as potential candidates for the program.
The expansion of this program aligns well with one of the Ontario Health Team Northumberland’s year one priorities, which is outreach to rural areas.
