With children, for children, with you

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The Children Society
We make childhood better
With children, for children, with you
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In this presentation
? Summary statement ? History ? Main areas of
work today ? Fundraising of Childrens Society ?
Future
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We are
a leading national charity, driven by a belief
that every child deserves a good childhood
With children, for children, with you
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We
provide vital help and support for children who
face danger, discrimination or disadvantage in
their daily lives
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We are experienced

• History
• Constantly evolving. Always innovative
• Founded in 1881 by Edward Rudolf
• Ran residential childrens homes for 100 years
• 1970s started community-based work
• 1990s began campaigning
• Now focused on children in greatest need

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Our direct practice
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We work with

• 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

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We work with

Our schools work, childrens 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.
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Why we do it
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
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Why we do it
The Childrens Society listened when no one else
would.
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We work with

• 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

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We work with

• 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

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

• 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

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

• 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.

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Why we do it
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.
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Why we do it
The Childrens Society helped Amy explore her
mothers heroin addiction. She wrote a letter
to her Mum explaining how she felt. Amys
behaviour began to improve as she shared her
worries.
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We make childhood better
With children, for children, with you