The Big Lottery Fund has launched a £20m fund for vulnerable children which will require charities to work together to develop multi-issue support for their families.

Picking up on the fact that multiple factors impact on children’s well-being and life chances, the  ‘Improving Futures’ programme will focus funding individual support to families which have complex and multiple problems.

While only groups that work with families with eldest children aged between the ages of five and ten will be eligible for funding via the programme, BIG is requiring that a variety of charities work together in partnership to address the issues faced by the families, from employment to housing and health.

The unveiling of the new fund coincides with an admission by BIG chief executive Peter Wanless this week that applications to the Reaching Communities Fund have increased by about a third over the last year.

Anna Southall, interim chair of BIG, said: “Improving Futures is designed to enable the voluntary sector to play a crucial role in reaching out to these families, providing  holistic and tailored support, in partnership with local services.

“With this new funding we aim not only to make a difference for the children, families and communities fortunate enough to be touched by the programme, but to demonstrate to others that there are better ways of organising support around families rather than specific services or individual causes.”

Improving Futures will distribute grants of up to £900,000 to around 20 partnerships.