Local families will benefit from a £1.8m grant earmarked for spending during the 2017/18 financial year on projects for Monmouthshire County Council’s Families First and Flying Start programmes.

A total of £650,000 has been allocated to the Families First programme - an initiative which supports families and aims to improve outcomes. The programme focuses on prevention and early intervention support services to tackle child poverty. The amount includes £51,000 to help families affected by disability.

Meanwhile, the council’s Flying Start programme which operates in selected areas in Abergavenny, Monmouth, Chepstow and Caldicot will receive £1.17m.

Flying Start aims to give children the best start in life from the prenatal period to three years old. The money will help the programme to deliver high quality part-time childcare for eligible two-year-olds alongside evidence-based health, parenting and early language support.

Paul Matthews, MCC’s Chief Executive said, “Families First and Flying Start teams carry out invaluable work targeted to make a positive difference. It’s really positive that this work will continue into the next financial year.”