Laura Hanratta: Action for Children

Today’s speaker was Laura Hanratta from Action for Children.

Action for Children was founded in 1869 by a Methodist minister. He established the first children’s home in a disused stable in Waterloo. The work expanded to cover much of the country. In 1908 the charity adopted the name National Children’s Home. The name was changed to the present one in 2008, by which time the charity was no longer operating children’s homes. Today its work is focused in the community.

The charity aims to protect and support children and young people. It does this through:

• adoption and fostering;
• supporting young carers;
• services and homes for disabled children; and
• providing early year support for families.

Last year it helped 8,000 children find places.

It also works with families and schools to help children with mental health issues. It is estimated that, in any class of thirty children, four will have mental health problems.

The charity arranges trips and “Essex Short Breaks” for children with difficulties. Laura showed us a short video about the breaks. Unfortunately we couldn’t hear any sound but we could see children and families enjoying themselves.

Even before Covid-19 hit, an estimated 4 Million children were living in poverty in the UK. Since the lockdown Action for Children has helped some 5,000 children by helping families pay for essential services and providing food.