- Action for Children
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Action for Children 
Formation 1869 Type NGO Purpose/focus Children/young people's welfare Location Watford, UK Region served United Kingdom Chief Executive Dame Clare Tickell Main organ Council of Trustees, chaired by Pamela Chesters Parent organization Methodist Church of Great Britain Staff 7,000 Volunteers 4,000 Website http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk Action for Children is a national children’s charity in the United Kingdom that supports and speaks out for the most vulnerable and neglected children, young people, families and their communities.
The charity’s website states We believe all children and young people have unique potential and that they should have the support and opportunities they need to reach it.[1]
Action for Children helps over 156,000 children, young people and their families through around 420 projects across the UK. It also promote social justice by lobbying and campaigning for change.
Founded in 1869 by Methodist minister Thomas Bowman Stephenson,[2] it was originally called The Children’s Home, and later National Children’s Home and NCH. It changed its name to Action for Children in September 2008 as the new name better represented its work.[3]
Its national headquarters is in Watford[4] and it is a registered charity under English and Scottish law.[5][6] In 2009/10 it had a gross income of £200 million, making it one of the 20 largest charities in the UK.[7]
Contents
History
A photograph of the first boys to be admitted to The Children's Home 1869.
Action for Children was founded in 1869 by Methodist minister Revd Thomas Bowman Stephenson in London as The Children’s Home, in response to the plight of homeless children. Stephenson’s vision was for small homes with a Mother and Father figure where children were treated with affection and respect, in contrast to the hated workhouses.[8]
Action for Children's work
Action for Children works in partnership with statutory bodies to deliver services for children, young people and their families. Currently it manages 420 separate projects, including family and community centres, children’s centres, respite care facilities and schools.
Action for Children now works directly in communities in four areas:
Disabled children
Action for Children currently runs 57 specialist projects for disabled children, as well as assisting 9,000 other children with a range of learning and behavioural difficulties through its other services.[9] These include residential care, short breaks, support for families and carers, and advocacy.
Supporting families
Action for Children is the major non-government provider of family support services such as Sure Start across the UK and children’s centres in England. It works with over 80 per cent of local authorities to provide, at the earliest opportunity, a range of flexible services to support all children, young people and their families, particularly those who need help the most.[10]
Children in care
Action for Children now runs nine residential homes for children with complex and challenging needs. The charity runs five schools; two are residential, one offers day and residential placements and two offer day placements only for children and young people with challenging behaviour (including social or emotional problems) and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).[11] The charity also provides services to adults with PMLD. In addition, the charity runs homes for disabled children and residential short breaks services.
Schools
Action for Children runs a number of special schools in the UK:[12]
- Cotswold Community School, Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire
- Headlands School, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan
- Parklands Campus, Besselsleigh, Oxfordshire
- Penhurst School, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
Fostering and adoption
Action for Children is an approved Adoption Agency. It states[13] that:
“Our adopters may be single, married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner. You can adopt jointly without being married. We welcome gay and lesbian adopters whether they are single or looking to adopt jointly with their partner.”It also states that there is no upper age limit for adopters, though they will be asked to pass medical examinations and be assessed as suitable by social workers. The charity notes[14] that:
“we specialise in finding families for those children who may not otherwise get the chance to be adopted – this includes brothers and sisters, children with disabilities or potential future health problems, older children and children of all ages from black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds.”It also places children in short and long term foster care, including emergency care and remand fostering for young people awaiting a court appearance.[15]
Young people experiencing severe difficulties
The charity’s work includes employment projects such as Youthbuild,[16] crisis intervention services that aim to keep children in the family, and accredited Youth Justice programmes in Scotland.[17]
The charity’s website states[18]:
“Our services target the most vulnerable young people, and include services for children and young people in trouble with the law, leaving care services … and alternatives to education. We are considered the main provider of a number of these services in the voluntary sector – particularly leaving care services, for which we are the biggest provider in the UK outside of local authorities.”Research
Action for Children commissions research into issues around children and families as well as to assess the impact of its own work.[19]
Recent reports include “Backing the Future”[20] (September 2009), “Deprivation and Risk: the case for early intervention”[21] (March 2010) and studies of the impact of work with children who have been sexually abused.[22]
Campaigning
The charity campaigns and lobbies on behalf of vulnerable and neglected children and young people and their families. Current campaigns include, "Take your action for children", which aims to raise public awareness of child neglect,[23] an issue which studies suggest affects up to 10 per cent of all UK children, and “Growing Strong”,[24] which focuses on the importance of children and young people’s emotional wellbeing.
The recent “Backing the Future”[25] report makes a strong case for the need to focus government spending on long-term, preventative and early interventions rather than short-term responses to problems. “As Long as it Takes”[26] looks back at the last 21 years of policy around children and makes recommendations for the future.
See also
References
- ^ Action for Children (2010). "Summary information return 2009". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/538890/summary_information_return_2009_of_aims__activities_and_achievements.pdf. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ The Methodist Church of Great Britain. "Action for Children Sunday 2010". The Methodist Church of Great Britain. http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.content&cmid=876. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ CorpComms Magazine. "Action for Children Rebranding". CorpComms Magazine. http://www.corpcommsmagazine.co.uk/news/575-best-rebranding-exercise. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ Directgov. "Action for Children". Directgov. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/DG_6000140. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children, Registered Charity no. 1097940 at the Charity Commission
- ^ Action for Children, Registered Charity no. SC038092 at the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
- ^ Charities Direct: Top 500 Charities ranked by annual income
- ^ BBC London (July 8, 2009). "A childhood worth living". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8141000/8141274.stm. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Disabled children". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/disabled-children. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Family support". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/family-support. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Schools at a glance". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/our-schools. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Action for Children. "Who can adopt". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/adoption-fostering-and-children-in-care/adopt-a-child/who-can-adopt. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Adopting a child". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/adoption-fostering-and-children-in-care/adopt-a-child/how-to-adopt. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Types of fostering". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/adoption-fostering-and-children-in-care/foster-a-child/types-of-fostering. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Youthbuild". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/young-people/education-employment-and-training/youthbuild. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Young people". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/young-people. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Young people". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-services/young-people. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Research". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/policy-research/research. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children in partnership with nef (the new economics foundation). "Backing the future". nef (the new economics foundation). http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/backing-future. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Deprivation and risk: the case for early intervention". Social Care Online. http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/profile.asp?guid=e4f25aa5-6bd5-42bc-866c-bcf342315cdd. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Research". Action for Children. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/policy-research/research. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Child neglect campaign". Business Influence. http://www.businessinfluence.co.uk/actionforchildren.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children (June 24, 2008). "Growing Strong". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7471891.stm. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "Backing the future". Northern Ireland Executive. http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-ofmdfm/news-ofmdfm-september-2009/news-ofmdfm-160909-junior-ministers-respond.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Action for Children. "'As long as it takes' report". ttrb Teacher Training Resource Bank. http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?selectedid=17760&anchorid=17825&keywords=into&RefineExpand=1&ContentId=15611. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
External links
- Action for Children website
- Action for Children Facebook
- Action for Children Twitter
- Extended Family website
- History of NCH Branches and File History of a child in care in the 1960s.
- National Children's Home - Branches, a Flickr photoset
- Forum for former residents
- Methodist Church page on the charity
- Guardian gallery of photographs of the charity’s history
Categories:- Children's charities based in the United Kingdom
- Child-related organizations
- Orphanages
- Methodism
- 1869 establishments
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