GambleAware to invest £2.58m in gambling education hub expansion

GambleAware has pledged to spend £2.58m on the development of two new gambling education hubs in England and Wales to reduce gambling-related harm.

The charity confirmed the commitment as part of a proposed expansion of the existing Scottish Gambling Education Hub service into the remaining nations of the UK.

The Scottish Gambling Education Hub service, which is run by Fast Forward, has been operating for more than seven years.

GambleAware has issued invitations to tender for the design, delivery and development of the two new hubs in England and Wales, with a 2 November deadline for submissions.

The overall aim of these projects is to use early intervention and prevention methods to reduce gambling harms among children and young people.

“The new hubs will be expected to deliver training that focuses on core youth sectors, including youth services, family services and formal education,” the charity said.

“As a result of the training, youth practitioners, teachers and youth organisations should have an increased awareness and understanding of the risks related to gambling and the impact of gambling harms, as well as what services are available to young people,” GambleAware added.

Winning bidders will be expected to involve individuals with lived experience of gambling-related harm in developing training content and supporting tools.

GambleAware has confirmed that it expects equality, diversity and inclusion policy and procedures to be at the heart of the service design, provision and day-to-day operations.

The hubs fall under the National Gambling Treatment Service, which also includes the National Gambling Helpline and a network of locally based treatment providers across the UK.

It is jointly commissioned by NHS England and GambleAware, and includes NHS, third sector and private sector providers delivering services across England, Scotland and Wales.