A charity supporting working parents and carers is set to close after 47 years of operating, following a “sustained period of financial challenge and a comprehensive review of its future viability”.
Working Families said it would close on 30 June due to a combination of changing demand for support and rising financial pressures on employers and organisations.
The charity said this has been “an extremely difficult decision, taken with great care and with heavy hearts”.
“It comes at a time when many charities are facing increasing pressure, with rising costs and shifting demand,” it said in a statement.
“While Working Families maintained strong income from trusts and foundations despite a challenging national landscape, wider external factors, including changes in employer demand and pressures on organisational budgets, have significantly affected the sustainability of our work”.
In the year to March 2025, Working Families recorded a total income of £1.21m and expenditure of £1.20m and employed 29 people.
Refugee charity closes
Meanwhile, Together Now, a charity registered in 2019 that reunited refugees with their families in the UK, has permanently closed.
The charity said on its website: “We’re well aware of the significant ongoing and increasing complexity around refugee family reunion both in getting to the UK and post arrival.
“Along with many others in the sector, we’ve faced challenges in securing and increasing ongoing funding to get the right team to be able to adequately meet the needs and aspirations of the families we work with.”
Together Now’s annual report 2023-24 shows that the charity had a total income of £108,000 against expenditure of £109,000.
The report shows that the charity recruited its first paid members of staff into its director and caseworker roles in 2023-24, which it described as “a significant step in our organisation’s development”.
