During its 10th anniversary year, The For Baby’s Sake Trust has received a life-changing £290,000 grant from Comic Relief to support families in breaking cycles of domestic abuse and giving their babies the best start in life.
Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of The For Baby’s Sake Trust, said:
“Babies are the silent victims of domestic abuse – so often forgotten and overlooked by services. What happens to us in our first 1001 days impacts the rest of our lives, and every baby deserves to be born into a safe, loving home. It means the world to us that Comic Relief have taken a bold step in recognising the impact of domestic abuse on our youngest citizens and are supporting The For Baby’s Sake Trust to deliver long-term interventions to protect babies throughout England.”
This impactful support has been made possible through Comic Relief’s Bright Futures Programme, a funding opportunity focused on early childhood development in the UK, to help make sure that the most vulnerable children are given the best possible start in life, and become happy, healthy and confident individuals.
Through this fund, Comic Relief supports integrated approaches which address the comprehensive needs of young children and their carers. They support work like For Baby’s Sake that is strengths-based; building on a family’s existing strengths, empowering them to make the changes that will positively affect the lives of their young children, and creating healthy home environments that are supportive to early childhood development.
Samir Patel, CEO at Comic Relief, said:
“Research tells us that one in five children in the UK are growing up exposed to domestic abuse, which means millions of young lives are at risk daily and may face complex, long-term challenges as they grow. Comic Relief has supported frontline services for women and children affected by domestic abuse for over 30 years. We are proud to now be supporting the exceptional work of The For Baby’s Sake Trust and look forward to working together to ensure more babies are born into safe and loving homes.”
This vital five-year grant will assist The For Baby’s Sake Trust in achieving its ambitious 10-year goal: ensuring that every family in the UK can access support to break cycles of domestic abuse and give their baby the best start in life. To achieve this goal, the Trust aims to expand its reach, promote evidence of what works, and advocate for the provision of whole-family, trauma-informed support in the local and national response to domestic abuse.
Through its teams across England, the Trust promotes and provides trauma-informed, therapeutic support to families from pregnancy up until the baby’s second birthday. The Trust’s aim is for For Baby’s Sake to be embedded in the local response to domestic abuse throughout the UK, so every family impacted by domestic abuse in pregnancy can access help. It is already expanding its reach with the launch of a new practice team in the North East of England this year.
The Trust adopts an ecological approach to domestic abuse, addressing the effects of gender inequality while also working holistically with families facing intersecting disadvantages, including poverty, housing needs, substance misuse, mental health issues, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences.
Through partnering with funders like Comic Relief who support our vision and mission, The For Baby’s Sake Trust will be able to transform the local and national response to domestic abuse, breaking cycles of trauma for future generations.
This support has arrived during The For Baby’s Sake Trust’s 10th anniversary year, marking a significant milestone in the organisation’s journey. Over the past decade, the Trust has achieved transformative results by supporting hundreds of families to break intergenerational cycles of domestic abuse, creating brighter futures for their babies.
However, much work remains to be done to address the pervasive impact of domestic abuse on babies and children. The Trust views this anniversary as an opportunity to both celebrate progress and share its goal for every family in the UK to have access to support to break cycles of domestic abuse and give their babies the best start in life.
