Small kids' charities face closure due to instability

Fundraising | 9 Mar 2009

Two out of five small children’s charities are in a precarious financial position and could be forced to shut down, according to a new report.

A survey of 125 children’s charities with annual income of less than £250,000 conducted by umbrella body Children England found that 40 per cent feared they might have to close in the near future if anticipated funding doesn’t come through.

Joe Levenson, director of policy and communications at Children England, said despite the good work of the organisations, the situation “is only likely to get worse as the economic downturn bites”. Already, nearly a quarter of the charities surveyed reported a decline in funding levels over the past two years and the impact of the financial vulnerability is also having an impact on staffing. Twenty-eight per cent of the small charities had either made employees redundant in the past year or expected to have to in the future.

The report, which will be debated at Children England’s annual conference in London on March 19, calls for the launch of an awareness campaign about safeguarding, for small organisations to get better access to training and for greater collaboration within the sector.

“There is an urgent need for the government to provide long-term funding and to engage with all parts of the voluntary sector,” said Levenson.

Jordan Thompson, Children England development officer and report author, emphasised the need for small organisations to draw attention to their plight. “Now more than ever the voluntary sector needs to be vocal, unified and informed and work together to highlight where services are coming under threat,” he said.

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