Small children's charities under threat

 
Four out of ten small children's charities are in a vulnerable funding position and may have to close, according to a new report published by Children England, the umbrella organisation for the children, young people and families voluntary sector.

Children's England's report Small Change?, which draws on a survey of 125 small children's charities with an annual income of under £250,000, finds that children, young people and their families may lose out on vital services due to a lack of funding and support. The report also raises concern that despite improvements to the way that children's services are planned and developed, many smaller charities are continuing to find it difficult to get their voices heard or to have influence.

 Amongst the report's key findings are: 

• 40 per cent of small children's charities reported being in a vulnerable funding position with the potential to close if anticipated funding does not come in.
• More than a quarter (28 per cent) have had to issue redundancy notices in the previous 12 months or anticipate having to do so
• Almost half of organisations reported a negative change in funding over the previous two years.
• A third have never heard of the Government's new Vetting and Barring Scheme which comes into force later this year, even though it will affect all staff and volunteers who work with children.
• Many small children's charities are not having a chance to influence at a local level.

The report calls for longer-term funding, the provision of grant funding by all local authorities, greater access to training for small organisations, a major awareness-raising campaign about safeguarding and for the voluntary sector to work more closely together to maximise its impact and influence. The issues raised in the report will be discussed in more detail at Children England's national conference At the Heart on Thursday 19 March in Central London.

Speaking today Joe Levenson, Director of Policy and Communciations at Children England said that:

"Despite the excellent work they undertake, many small children's charities are facing financial uncertainty and possible closure, a situation which is only likely to get worse as the economic downturn bites. In order to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children in the country don't miss out on vital services, there is an urgent need for the government to provide long-term funding and to engage with all parts of the voluntary sector"

Jordan Thompson, Children England's Development Officer and one of the report's authors added:

"It is a real worry that small children's charities are struggling to survive in the current climate. Now more than ever the voluntary sector needs to be vocal, unified and informed and to work together to highlight where vital services are coming under threat.  However the results of our survey show that many small organisations are not effectively linked into local influencing structures, are unaware of who is representing them and do not know how they can contribute to local decision making.  This means that local services are being planned and developed without the vital and unique expertise of these organisations or the voices of the children, young people and families whom they serve." 

Further information

Children England's report Small Change? A survey of small voluntary and community sector organisations working with children, young people and families is available from Children England on 020 7833 3319 or info@childrenengland.org.uk. It is also available to download at www.childrenengland.org.uk