For every £1 we spend, 84p helps children and families
Across the UK 4.5 million children are growing up in poverty. For many families, winter means impossible choices: heating or food, school costs or warm clothes.
Our frontline staff tell us that child poverty is at the worst levels they have ever seen, and winter is making life even harder for the families we support. Parents across the UK are struggling to keep their children warm clothed and well-fed as temperatures drop and costs continue to rise.
Last year alone, we supported 551,400 children, young people and families through our services. Across the UK, our 342 local services worked on the frontline to provide food, warmth, safe spaces and practical help for families who had nowhere else to turn.
But the need is growing. We know that millions of children are still living without the basic needs. Families tell us that they can’t afford winter coats, school essentials or even the necessities needed to keep their homes warm, and their children fed during the coldest nights of the year.
"It was a struggle anyway, but now things are so much worse. There's no way we can survive like this, it's just impossible...A lot of people think foodbanks are just for people who don't work, but people who work like me need them now. Who’d have thought eating would become a luxury?”
Leanne, mum of two.
Your support could help make sure children get the best start in life. We can provide food and warmth in a crisis. We can be there for parents who are struggling. And we can offer the right mental health support, so children thrive.
Your gift could help give a child warmth, dignity and hope during the darkest months of the year.
More about our work
What does Action for Children do?
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 342 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.
What we've achieved
We’ve been helping children for more than 155 years. In 2024/25 we helped 551,400 children, young people and families. This was only possible with your support.
- 551,400: the number of children, young people and families we helped in 2024/25
- 342: the number of Action for Children services across the UK, in schools and online
- 50,869: the number of children reached with mental health support in 2024/25
- 484,650: the number of children, young people and families reached by our family support services, including Parent Talk, in 2024/25
- Over 2,000,000: the number of children and young people we've helped since 1869
All this is only possible thanks to the support of people like you.
Where your money goes
Your donations help us to support vulnerable children, young people and their families in the UK.
84p 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 2024/25 charity accounts that exclude subsidiary companies like commercial nurseries.
Why regular donations matter
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.
For every £1 we spend, 84p helps children and families
