Children and families in deprived areas of Sussex to receive support, thanks to Freemasons

Over 60 disadvantaged children and families will receive help and support, thanks to a grant of £30,000 from Sussex Freemasons to the charity Family Support Work (FSW).

FSW supports disadvantaged families and their children who live in isolated rural areas or deprived seaside towns in Sussex. It aims to help families cope better with their daily challenges. A key aim is to help families to stay together with children living safely at home. 

These families may be affected by a range of challenges including addiction, illness or poor mental health, unemployment, poverty, relationship breakdown and isolation. All of these factors can put children at greater risk of violence and neglect. There is also the likelihood of poor educational performance, which can permanently harm their life chances.

FSW’s support is provided through home visits which tackle a range of practical issues such as benefit applications and housing problems. There is also emotional support available for relationship difficulties, anger management, and other life skills. Beneficiaries are referred to these support services by GP and health professionals, CAMHS and other social services.

Family Support Work also focuses on the relationship between parent and child by providing family fun days, weekly Lego therapy sessions, a weekly after-school club and a range of other activities.

A study carried out last year reported that 54 per cent of children involved in the project felt their wellbeing had improved, 45 per cent of parents developed better skills at managing their money and home, and 32 per cent of families found an improvement in child-parent relationships.

The grant from Sussex Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.

Martin Auton-Lloyd, CEO of Family Support Work, said: “We’re very grateful to Sussex Freemasons for their generous grant, which will allow us to reach out to isolated and deprived families across Sussex and support them both practically and emotionally. Our service is proven to make significant changes to parent-child relationships which is crucial for a child’s development.”

Michael Harris, Chairman of the Sussex Freemasons Community Charity, said:

“I’m really pleased we have been able to support Family Support Work who are doing wonderful work with so many disadvantaged families. They do a fantastic job and I’m proud Freemasons are able to help them.”