Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 78, what steps his Department has taken to establish a family bereavement centre for families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Family and Friends Assistance Centre is a centre for bereaved families providing them with access to professional support from a multi-disciplinary team and space to spend time together. The centre has been operational since the immediate days following the fire, overseen initially by the Grenfell Response Team and then the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council. Confidential rooms provide a comfortable environment with staff on hand to provide support and advice.

The Centre recently moved to new long-term premises and services include emotional support and counselling; NHS Post Traumatic Stress Disorder support; financial advice by the Red Cross and support from specialist keyworkers, Family Liaison Officers and Victim Support. The Senior Investigatory Officer from the Metropolitan Police Service also attends the Centre to provide a link to the ongoing police investigation.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be engaging with bereaved families at the Centre, explaining processes and answering queries.

At the Autumn Budget the Government announced £28 Million to enable the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council to support the victims and communities. This includes £3 million towards the operating costs of the Friends and Family Assistance Centre for the next three years