Pathway Fund: Mother fears cuts will affect vulnerable children

The mother of a child with severe learning difficulties has said she is afraid for the future of vulnerable children as a result of funding cuts.

Katie Harkin's daughter Ellie is three and has additional needs.

She said the pair had no "bond" until Ellie joined a special children's centre in Londonderry.

But the centre's services could be cut by half if the fund that supports it comes to an end.

The Pathway Fund currently supports 187 early years settings across Northern Ireland.

Its future is uncertain after Stormont's Department of Education announced it is to make "significant" spending reductions to remain in budget.

Funding for the project currently remains in place until the end of June, but beyond that is unknown.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it had received its budget allocation for the year ahead from the Northern Ireland Office and was "working through the detail".

They said: "The allocation is extremely challenging and will likely require significant reductions across a wide range of areas to remain within budget.

"To sustain important early years services over the next three months, the Department of Education has made an interim allocation of funding of £1.05m in respect of the Pathway Fund to all 187 settings eligible for a Pathway award in 2023/24 for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023.

"The department will confirm the final Pathway Fund allocation following consideration of the education budget."

Three-year-old Ellie attends Little Orchids, which is one of the settings currently receiving support by the Pathway Fund.

It offers "therapeutic intervention" for toddlers and pre-schoolers with additional needs, as well as support and training for their parents.

Katie Harkin told BBC News NI: "Before coming here, Ellie had very little contact with me.

"Ellie didn't like physical touch. She had limited eye contact and sometimes she lived in her own world.

"There was none of that bond that you would think a parent had with their child.

"But coming here to Little Orchids, they brought Ellie out of her shell. They taught me how to go into Ellie's world and how to become the best parent that I can be for Ellie."

According to campaigners, more than 10,000 children could be affected by plans to scrap the Pathway Fund.

Ms Harkin said she is afraid that other families will not get to benefit from services like those at Little Orchids.

"Especially with the next year coming through," she said. "They're the Covid babies - they've already had limited social interaction, they've already missed out on things like mother and toddler groups.

"If you take away this service that provides so much help and support to those kids, I'm afraid of what's going to happen.

"Not this year or next year, but 10 years down the line when the kids start to grow up, when they're not supported, not nurtured correctly.

"I'm afraid for the next generation - the most vulnerable in society. Because in reality that's what kids with additional needs are."

Audrey Rainey, director of services for Early Years, which facilitates the Pathway Fund, said an end to the funding would be devastating to the sector.

"This is a sector that's already been impact by the financial crisis, and further decisions like these and termination of funding will undoubtedly have a devastating impact for the future of young children in Northern Ireland," she said.

Last Monday, about 60 people attended a gathering in Galliagh to voice concerns about the future of the Pathway Fund.

Jackie Connolly, who is the coordinator of Rainbow Child and Family Centre, where the meeting was held, said they discussed an action plan to try and help secure the fund.

"This is people's lives we are dealing with here," she said.

The Department of Education has already cut funding for numerous schemes, mainly aimed at helping disadvantaged pupils, to save money.

Much like the Pathway Fund, funding for Sure Start has not yet been confirmed beyond June.