The Intandem mentoring programme is set to expand over the next five years with a major investment from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Thanks to National Lottery players, Inspiring Scotland has received almost £4.5 million over five years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The funding will be used to expand its mentoring support to children and young people in kinship care – those living with extended family or a close family friend – across Scotland. It will also connect kinship carers and elevate their voices by setting up networks where they can come together and share experiences.
This comes from The UK Fund, one of The National Lottery Community Fund’s significant commitments as part of its 2023-2030 strategy, ‘It starts with community’, funding projects that support communities to come together and help children and young people thrive – two of the funder’s four key missions.
For nearly a decade, Intandem has been a source of hope, joy and connection for children and young people experiencing the care system in Scotland. Delivered in partnership with 12 partner charities across 20 local authorities, Intandem matches young people with trained volunteer mentors in their local communities – helping them build trust, confidence, and resilience.
Across Scotland, the number of children in kinship care has grown dramatically in recent years, from just over 1 in 10 of those in care in 2006, to 1 in 3 young people in care today. We know that these kinship families take on enormous responsibility – often after experiencing trauma or loss – yet they face a postcode lottery when trying to access financial, emotional and practical support. As a result, too many families are left to navigate challenges alone.
With investment from The National Lottery Community Fund, Intandem seeks to improve the support provided to young people and families experiencing the care system.
This will be achieved by scaling up the support provided to young people growing up in kinship care, strengthening support for kinship families, and expanding Intandem mentoring across Scotland by 2030.
The investment will also allow us to establish a participation framework to connect carers and peer groups, foster collaboration among kinship care professionals, and facilitate UK-wide knowledge sharing to amplify kinship voices and improve support for families nationwide.
Julia Abel, Director of Funds at Inspiring Scotland, said:
“This expansion is all about collaboration. We want to strengthen community networks and improve support for kinship families by building on the expertise already in the sector, complementing existing services, and creating spaces to listen and learn from those with lived experience.”
As Intandem approaches its 10th anniversary, this investment marks a bold step towards fairer, more consistent support for young people and families experiencing the care system. By coming together to strengthen partnerships and improve kinship support, we are ensuring that every child has the support they need to thrive.
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