What your support has helped us achieve in 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest threat to children's futures that we have seen in recent years
But despite the huge challenges it has created, we kept 99% of our services running throughout 2020. Our supporters adapted and stepped up to the plate: raising £405,000 through virtual events. We’ve also taken some important steps forward in supporting vulnerable children, young people and their families. Our campaigns change lives, and this year is no exception.
And we couldn’t have done it without you.
In response to concerns from our frontline services about the impact of lockdown measures on families, we launched our Emergency Coronavirus Appeal and raised more than £750,000. Grants for essentials such as food, utility bills and clothing, directly supported over 10,800 vulnerable children and young people and over 5,000 families.
For the past two years, our Policy and Campaigns team have been working tirelessly to ensure children are recognised as victims of domestic abuse, rather than witnesses. After we campaigned for children’s experiences to be reflected, the government finally confirmed that the Domestic Abuse Bill would be amended.
Lockdown put families under immense pressure and we responded to their parenting needs. After a fourfold surge in visits and calls to our parenting advice service between March and May, we launched Parent Talk: a free online service providing articles and one-to-one advice from our amazing parent coaches. Since launch, it’s supported over 225,000 parents.
Parent Talk received coverage on Good Morning Britain.
We published our Childhood during Coronavirus report, an analysis of applications to our Emergency Fund. The findings provided an insight into the financial fragility of families we support. Following its publication, we urged the government to improve financial support for low-income families (to retain the £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit) and launched our End Childhood Crisis campaign.
We launched our Secret Santa Campaign, asking supporters to become Secret Santas for vulnerable children. So far, over 19,730 Secret Santas have donated over £676,000.
Jason Manford surprised families with deliveries of food and toys in the Action for Children ‘Secret Santa van’.
There’s no denying that 2021 is going to be tough. But we’re reassured by the progress you’ve helped us achieve during the pandemic. And we’ve set a bold new year's resolution: to be there for vulnerable children and young people in the UK, working to End Childhood Crisis.
We believe that if everyone works together, from charities and community groups to the media, public and government, we can change lives.
And we need your continued support to keep making the UK a brighter place for vulnerable children and young people.
