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

Many young children today won’t know Christmas without a global pandemic or a brutal cost of living crisis. And it’s the most vulnerable children who are paying the highest price.

4.2 million children now live in poverty in the UK. That’s 600,000 more than in 2012. And 29% of all children.

We’re there when families can’t afford the basics. We top up the gas meter when the house feels cold. Put food on the table so no one in the house goes hungry. Buy a Christmas present when a parent can’t.  We’re a vital lifeline for desperate families with nowhere to turn.

Childhood is short and precious. There isn’t long to make happy memories. That’s why we need your support now.

You could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas – a magic that will last them a lifetime.

Just £12 a month could provide a hot dinner for a child for a week.

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.

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