Charities join forces

Charities join forces to help change a child’s life

Action for Children, the children’s charity and Chance UK have developed a partnership to offer mentoring programmes in several areas of the UK. These programmes will help children who are in need of additional support with behavioural problems they are facing.

"...all charities should consider seriously and imaginatively whether there are ways in which they could do more and better for their users by working together."

Charity Commission, Collaborative Working and Mergers (RS4) 2003

Robb Campbell, Director General of the Office of the Third Sector, launches the partnership with Jo Hobbs and Paul Vaight of Chance UK and Hugh Thornbery and Ken McDougall of Action for Children

As a small community based organisation Chance UK delivers an innovative and unique mentoring programme to children in Islington and Hackney. “We are delighted to be able to offer our mentoring programme to more children, families and communities across the UK,” says Jo Hobbs, National Development Manager at Chance UK. “Having a small infrastructure, mainly focused towards the delivery of our programme in London, we had been unable to consider expanding our services without working in partnership with others. To be working with Action for Children, which has such a good reputation for delivering wide ranging, quality children’s services, is a fantastic opportunity for us.”

The Chance UK child mentoring programme has achieved Approved Provider Standard from the national Mentoring and Befriending Foundation and has also won awards for volunteer support, alcohol prevention among primary school children and social reform. By working with Chance UK, Action for Children can deliver a tried and tested, quality assured programme. “Action for Children is very excited about this partnership. As one of the UK’s leading children’s charities we are totally committed to supporting the diversity and development of the sector and it is great to be working alongside an organisation like Chance UK to develop their successful work,” says Hugh Thornbery, Director of Children’s Services at Action for Children. “Chance UK are proving to be a great organisation to work with. They have evidenced how effective they are in turning children’s lives around; they are now demonstrating their capacity to work in partnership with us to meet need in different parts of the UK. ”

Campbell Robb, Director General of the Office of the Third Sector, launched the partnership at a recent event, stating how pleased he was to see organisations in the Third Sector working together, “It is good to see that Chance UK and Action for Children have come together to take this inspiring mentoring scheme to other parts of the country. It is encouraging to see charities come together for the benefit of children and young people.”

Both Chance UK and Action for Children believe that this partnership brings the best of both organisations together to better support vulnerable children. In the first phase of the partnership mentoring programmes will be established in Crawley, Liverpool, Derry and across Inverness and the Highlands.

About Action for Children

Action for Children (formerly NCH) is the UK’s leading children’s charity. Through their services and campaigns they support children and young people in the UK and internationally, including those:

• whose families need support
• who are disabled
• who cannot live with their birth families
• who experience severe difficulties in their lives

They seek to work with a wide variety of organisations, using their unique experience and expertise to create effective, supportive relationships to best meet the needs of children and young people.

They offer wide-ranging volunteer opportunities that make a real difference to children’s lives, and are committed to supporting their volunteers in their development.

About Chance UK

Chance UK seeks to provide an early and transforming intervention in the lives of children so that together with their families they may begin to build a brighter future.

Chance UK provides specific and targeted solution focused mentoring for children aged 5–11 years, based on individual needs. The programme is delivered by carefully screened and trained volunteers who are closely supervised and supported.

In 2004 Chance UK was highlighted as a ‘Gold Star’ mentoring project and retained this status in 2006. Chance UK is one of only six such projects across the UK to have been recognised under this programme run by the Cabinet Office.