The Church of England Children’s Society was founded by a London Sunday school teacher, and our partnership with the Church of England continues to be of central importance today – it is our most strategic and long term partnership. Our front line work may have changed and developed over the years to reflect the changing needs of society, however we still work closely with Bishops and senior clergy across the county, and our principal supporters are to be found in Church of England communities.
The Children’s Society is a leading national charity, committed to building a country where all children are free from disadvantage. Trusted for over 130 years, we have been working tirelessly to change the lives of disadvantaged children. Through our extensive network of local programmes across England, we help children and young people when they are at their most vulnerable, and have nowhere left to turn. We offer an integrated and holistic approach to helping every child. Our skilled and compassionate project workers provide constant, consistent, and unconditional support through crisis and beyond, providing stability which is often lacking from their lives.
We provide specialist support to the most disadvantaged 10 to 18 year olds with complex needs, who are suffering from the effects of poverty and neglect, those who are at risk of exploitation or harm, living in care, or let down by the systems meant to protect them. They come to us when they are at their most vulnerable, when they are in desperate need of help, when they have nowhere left to turn. At their moment of crisis, we support them every step of the way, getting to the heart of their problem, support the repair of damage and directing them to the services they need, as they begin to change their life story.
Our priorities are around delivering an integrated youth in need model in our direct service work and our campaigns with particular emphasis on:
Young people at risk of or affected by sexual exploitation;
Children and young people who are missing from care or home;
Children and young people who are affected by poor emotional wellbeing or
poor mental health;
Children and young people whose lives are impacted by involvement with the
care system
Young people who are substance misusers
Young Carers
Our work in London
We have worked in London since 1881, combining a local charity’s responsiveness and knowledge of the community with the influence of our national organisation.
London is a hyper-diverse city, with a shifting population and constantly changing demographic. However, our research shows that the areas of London which suffer from the highest levels of poverty and deprivation have done so for a number of decades which can impact on children in a variety of ways including poor educational outcomes, high levels of crime and poor health outcomes.
Today, 592,000 children – 37% of all children in the capital – live below the poverty line. We are committed to transforming these young lives by providing a number of different services and projects including:
● Missing from home and care services
● Advocacy services
● Refugee and migrant services
● Trafficking services
● Emotional wellbeing services
● Child sexual exploitation services
National Work
Our work with Young Carers
There are 178,000 young carers across the country according to the last census, but this is just the tip of the iceberg, as we suspect the number is actually much higher than this. These children are caring for parents, siblings and other family members, they are forced to grow up too early and not only lose their childhoods but also miss out on much of their education, which has a negative impact on the rest of their lives.
We support young carers by making sure they can have breaks from their responsibilities and by giving young carers a platform to share their experiences and raise awareness about the issues they face. We also organise a Young Carers Festival annually providing young people with the opportunity to have fun, relax, socialise and forget their responsibilities for a weekend.
Thank you to Hampstead Parish Church for your ongoing prayers and support.
Louise Paine-Davey, Regional Fundraising Manager for The Children’s Society
The Children’s Society