WINCHESTER Rotary President Richard Spalding recently presented a symbolic ‘big cheque’, marking a donation of £2,500, to Dr Elizabeth Harrison, trustee and chair of the Family Counselling Trust – Hampshire.

The significant donation will help to provide highly specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health therapy for families where children are manifesting early signs of disturbance.

The intention is to address issues before abnormal patterns of behaviour become entrenched and the families may have a long wait to access Child and Mental Health Services.

Currently, the Family Counselling Trust pays for families without the means to do so; some families pay according to their means, but at a rate far below what would be charged by private providers.

The only paid staff at FCT are the family liaison officer for the county and a part-time chief executive based in her own home. i.e. the costs are all to support service provision.

Referrals are made in many ways including via GPs, schools, paediatricians, children’s centres, and self-referral.

Due to the Covid pandemic, demand has risen sharply as many vulnerable children have fallen victim to lack of schooling, isolation, domestic violence, depression.