With children, for children, with you The Children Society We make childhood better

In this presentation With children, for children, with you Summary statement History Main areas of work today Fundraising of Children’s Society Future

We are… With children, for children, with you …a leading national charity, driven by a belief that every child deserves a good childhood

We… With children, for children, with you …provide vital help and support for children who face danger, discrimination or disadvantage in their daily lives

We are experienced With children, for children, with you History Constantly evolving. Always innovative Founded in 1881 by Edward Rudolf Ran residential children’s homes for 100 years 1970s started community-based work 1990s began campaigning Now focused on children in greatest need

Our direct practice

We work with With children, for children, with you Runaway children at risk on the street Sometimes only solution is to run away In the UK, 100,000 children run away each year Resort to begging, stealing or prostitution to survive We explore and understand the reasons why Help them find solutions Campaign Government to provide better services

We work with With children, for children, with you Our schools work, children’s centres and mentoring programmes help children develop the skills and confidence they need to make the most of their childhood and play a full part in their local communities.

Why we do it With children, for children, with you Home life was awful and I ran away when I was 14. I started taking drugs. The only way I could pay for them was to charge men for sex. I was desperate. Leila, 16

Why we do it With children, for children, with you The Children’s Society listened when no one else would.

We work with With children, for children, with you Children in trouble with the law There is always a reason We look behind the statistics Provide preventative support and guidance Help individual children Reconcile victims with offenders Campaign for offenders to be treated like children

We work with With children, for children, with you Disabled children without a voice Many disabled children have no control over their lives They are excluded from decision making Disabled in care are four times more likely to be abused We ensure that disabled children are given a voice We campaign for government and society to recognise that all disabled children have a right to be heard

Why we do it But no-one really understood me until I started working with The Children’s Society in one-to-one sessions”. James 13 “I have severe anthrogyposis, which affects my joints and muscles and makes it painful to walk.

We work with With children, for children, with you Refugee children facing exclusion Many children to flee on their own to this country We help them with language barriers We help them into education We help them rebuild their lives in new communities We campaign to ensure that the Government provides the protection and security that it offers other children

Why we do it “I was scared and lonely. A lady from The Children’s Society listened to me. She understood how I felt. She found me good foster parents and now I go to school again.” Ahmed, 14

We are Work where need is greatest With alcohol and drug misuse on the increase amongst the adult population, there is growing concern for children whose parents are drink or drug dependent. These children often live on the edge of a frightening world and are likely to suffer abuse and neglect.

We are With children, for children, with you Children from Traveller communities are among the most disadvantaged in the country and are likely to miss out on education and healthcare and suffer the trauma of site evictions and discrimination in society.

We are With children, for children, with you Thousands of young carers across the country are forced to grow up early and miss out on vital educational and recreational opportunities because they look after disabled or chronically ill adults or younger siblings.

Why we do it With children, for children, with you Amy was 8 and lived with her grandparents, as her mother was a heroin user. Life was very unsettled and she was becoming abusive and disruptive at school or was playing truant.

Why we do it With children, for children, with you The Children’s Society helped Amy explore her mother’s heroin addiction. She wrote a letter to her Mum explaining how she felt. Amy’s behaviour began to improve as she shared her worries.

With children, for children, with you We make childhood better