Children England set to close

20 September 2023

We are saddened to see the announcement today of the closure of Children England later this year. Children England is an organisation that has done amazing work highlighting and influencing the big issues for children and families and the charities that support them for more than 80 years. Its loss will leave a very big gap. The need for such a key infrastructure organisation to close illustrates the pressure on many charities today and how we cannot assume that organisations will just be able to continue.

Our CEO, David Holmes CBE, as Children England’s Chair of Trustees said:

The Board of Trustees have taken the difficult decision to close Children England while we are still in a position to preserve its very substantial legacy. Key aspects of its work such as its funded 4in10 project and the compelling vision and proposals that its Young Leaders recently set out for a ChildFair State will be found caring new homes within our sector. We will also do all we can to gather, share and celebrate the collective wisdom of this small but brilliant organisation before we finally close in a few months’ time. Children England may be closing but the collective commitment to the children’s charity sector of Kathy Evans its fantastic CEO, its staff, its Board of Trustees, its members and its many supporters will live on far into the future.”

Family Action is committed to maintaining the legacy of Children England’s work and thinking alongside our fellow organisations in the sector. We will continue to do all we can to give families a bold, strong voice in a world where supporting children and their families’ needs to be at the forefront of the priorities for our country.