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

4.5 million children in the UK live in poverty

The summer holidays bring a well-deserved break for school children across the UK. But for some parents and carers, it can be a difficult time.

On top of financial worries such as sky-high bills and putting food on the table, families are struggling to afford the cost of back to school shopping.

Research from Child Poverty Action Group and Loughborough University's Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) uncovered that the minimum cost of education in the UK is now over £1,000 a year for a child at primary school and £2,300 a year for a secondary school pupil.

Factoring in expensive school uniform, pencil cases, lunch bags, new shoes and school meals - it can quickly become a burden. And when money is tight, children feel the impact.

Action for Children is on the ground working with vulnerable children and their families across the UK.

With your help we could provide PE kits, early learning materials, or a healthy breakfast to fuel a child's learning.

More about our work

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 372 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 2023/24 we helped 687,755 children, young people and families. This was only possible with your support.

  • In 2024, we helped over 54,878 young people with their mental health and wellbeing.
  • We have more than 418 foster carers across the UK.
  • We supported more than 102,000 children and families in our children's centres in 2022.

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 2021/22 charity accounts that exclude subsidiary companies like commercial nurseries.

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, 85p helps children and families