GambleAware has declared its intention to secure an evaluation and learning partner for its Aftercare Funding Programme.
The charity has already advertised Expressions of Interest (EOI) forms – which need to be submitted by prospective partners by 5PM, October 28 – as it searches for an ally to help support the development of the project, which is expected to commence in early February 2023 and be completed by 2026.
“The GambleAware Evaluation team is seeking Expressions of Interest for evaluation and learning partners for the Aftercare Funding Programme,” a statement on the GambleAware website read.
“This programme of work seeks to fund post-care (aftercare) initiatives to enable people to maintain their recovery from gambling harms.”
Part of GambleAware’s wider ‘operational strategy’, the Aftercare Funding Programme has been designed to improve the availability and access to post-care treatment and support for victims of gambling harms.
As the commissioning charity of research, education and treatment (RET) funding, GambleAware branded aftercare as an “emerging area, which has not previously received significant investment within Great Britain. Therefore, there is limited evidence base of what works and why.”
A maximum budget of £300,000 has been set aside for the initiative.
Applicants for the EOI must consider different research approaches considering the UK’s diverse community make-up, working with regional partners and the assessment of specific types of gambling harm.
A priority will include how to improve the “aftercare experience of those with the greatest inequalities, coming from disadvantaged communities”.
The programme will also seek to connect funded projects through a community of shared learning, that will be delivered in partnership between a gambling specialist organisation and another partner.
The EOI must also consider the feedback and insights of people with lived experience of gambling harms.