For every £1 we spend, 85p helps children and families

There's no way we can survive like this, it's just impossible. We have a food bank near us, but it's on a Friday at 10am and I'm in work. A lot of people think food banks are just for people who don't work, but people who do work need them now.

Leanne, Action for Children supported mum of two

Make a difference to the UK's most vulnerable children

Child poverty isn’t something that happens elsewhere. It’s right outside your door.

4.3 million children in the UK are growing up in families without enough money to make ends meet.

Your kind donation could put food in the fridge, pay for essential bills and help to protect children's mental health from the devastating impact of poverty on innocent childhoods.

Help protect childhoods

Donating a small amount every month by direct debit helps us give vulnerable children the stability they need. Our regular supporters help us carry out long-term work and keep vital projects running. A small monthly donation could make a very big difference to a child who needs our help.

Poverty stats from 2022 23 UK poverty stats update - 4.3 million children in the UK are living in poverty, that is 3 in 20 children in the UK

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (2022). Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2021.

More about Action for Children

We protect and support children and young people. We do this by providing practical and emotional care and support. We make sure their voices are heard. And we campaign to bring lasting improvements to their lives.

Today, we run 426 services in local communities across the UK, in schools and online.

In our nurseries and children's centres, staff make sure children get the best start in life. Our foster, adoptive and modern residential services find children and young people safe and loving homes.

We step in to protect children from neglect and abuse and help those who care for others or are at risk of homelessness. Innovative projects like The Blues Programme give young people the help they need to look after their mental health.

We're also here for parents, through projects like Parent Talk, our online support service.

We’ve been helping children for more than 150 years. In 2022/23 we helped 765,905 children, young people and families. This was only possible with your support.

  • Since 1869 we’ve helped more than two million children and young people.
  • 88,689: the number of people reached with mental health support in 2022/23.
  • 539,842: the number of people reached by our online parenting advice service, Parent Talk, in 2022/23.

Your donations help us to support vulnerable children, young people and their families in the UK.

85p of every £1* we spend goes directly towards helping children, young people and their families. Your support is so important right now because levels of financial hardship, abuse and neglect have been rising. We’ve seen a huge surge in demand for our services. Your donations help us to run these essential services, which give vulnerable children and families a vital lifeline.

We make sure that every penny you donate goes where it will have the greatest impact on children’s lives.

Most of the donations we receive from our campaigns are unrestricted. This means they’re not spent on one project or one specific area of the UK, but where the need is greatest. We wouldn’t be able to operate as a charity without this type of income. Unrestricted funds help us reach the children and young people who need us most. Funds raised from this appeal will be unrestricted and used by Action for Children for its general charitable purposes. Please see the Our Work and Impact for examples of the work we do to help children and young people and their families.

* Figure based on audited 2022/23 charity accounts that exclude subsidiary companies like commercial nurseries

For every £1 we spend, 85p helps children and families