Lottery funding win to benefit local families

[Photo left to right: Kim Anthony, head of children, young people and family services at West Sussex Mind; deputy CEO Kate Scales; and our CEO Kerrin Page]

We're delighted to announce that we have been awarded £400,000 over three years from the National Lottery Community Fund to continue and expand our vital Families in Mind service. This service supports parents and carers of young children across Worthing, Littlehampton, Adur and Bognor and it is our third successful funding bid for this service from the National Lottery.

Families in Mind supports the mental health and emotional wellbeing of parents and carers during pregnancy and throughout the early years of their child’s life (0–5 years). The service helps parents and carers experiencing issues, such as postnatal depression, perinatal anxiety and other mental health challenges, while also providing a space to reduce isolation, connect with others and build resilience.

Unlike most mental health services that are only aimed at adults, Families in Mind includes provision for children, allowing parents to attend groups and activities with their children. This removes a significant barrier to access – pre-arranged childcare – and enables parents to bond with their child in a nurturing, supportive environment.

Developing our support for families

In 2024-25, Families in Mind supported a total of 185 parents and carers, provided 708 one-to-one sessions and ran 576 groups for parents and their children with 100% of service users rating the service as “excellent”. Now, with the support of the National Lottery funding, the service aims to increase that number and reach 200 parents and carers each year.

The new funding will allow us to:

• Build on our partnership with Dad La Soul to engage more male parents and carers, recognising the unique pressures they face and the barriers they may experience in getting support. The partnership resulted in an increase in the percentage of males accessing support from Families in Mind from 4% to 9% during 2024-25.
• Support people to transition out of the service by helping them to find ongoing support in the community
• Involve more peer volunteers, creating opportunities for those with lived experience to support others and contribute meaningfully to the service
• Ensure all communities have access to Families in Mind, including engagement strategies to connect with underrepresented or marginalised groups.

Kim Anthony, head of children, young people and family services at West Sussex Mind, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for recognising the importance of mental health support for parents and carers of young children and for funding our service for another three years.

"We know that intervention and support for parents during children’s early years can be life-changing for parents and children alike and prevents problems escalating in the future. This grant will help us to reach more parents who are struggling, support more male carers and ensure that all parts of the community can access this important service.”

"Life-changing" support

Families in Mind service user, Anita, explained how the support she received helped after the birth of her second son: “I had become anxious about leaving the house with my toddler and baby, and I often felt lonely – sometimes I didn’t speak to any other adults during the day, outside of my home.

"Getting support with Families in Mind was life-changing for us. I met other parents who were experiencing similar problems, and I could speak confidentially with a support worker. I started getting out with the group and my baby and toddler and this gave me something to look forward to. Now I’ve gained the confidence to build my own connections and friends in the community, I’ve expanded my support network and I’m a calmer and more confident parent.”