Safeguarding Children e-Academy charity donations top £50,000
Cash windfalls from the national Safeguarding Children e-Academy continue to provide a financial boost to charities working with children and young people across Britain and overseas.
One of the UK's leading providers of online child protection training courses, the academy annually donates a sizeable percentage of its revenues to worthy child-related causes.
Since 2007, it has handed over £54,000 to child-related charities, the majority nominated by the e-Academy’s growing 65-strong UK membership, predominantly Local Safeguarding Children Boards.
Part of online training pioneer Virtual College, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, the Safeguarding Children e-Academy has to date this year donated £2,000 to 19 further charities in support of their work. They are:
The Great Mercy Orphanage in Kenya, the first overseas recipient, which provides a refuge for some 60 children, many of whom have suffered horrific experiences and do not have anyone else to care for them. The money is being used to buy a plot of land at the side of the orphanage, where they can grow their own vegetables and become more self sufficient.”
The Janeve Foundation, a small volunteer-run charity in Malvern, Worcestershire, which helps poor and marginalised people of Southern India by providing healthcare, education and training.
UTASS Young People’s Drop In, Middeleton-in-Teesdale, Co Durham, which supports children and young people in an area of high deprivation, significantly due to rural isolation in the Upper Dales. The money has been used to buy an arcade dance mat.
The Orchard Project, Newcastle upon Tyne. Funded by Barnardo's, the charity runs bereavement groups for young people who have lost children and partners through illness, accident, suicide or even murder. It is the only initiative in the country in which children, parents and grandparents are all catered for.
Macmillan Cancer Support in Tyneside, Wearside & Northumberland, part of the national charity which improves the lives of people affected by cancer by providing practical, medical and financial support, and campaigning for better cancer care.
Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice, Normanby, Middlesbrough, one of only two baby hospices in the UK offering specialist respite and palliative care to babies and infants from birth to five years old with life limiting, life-threatening illnesses, special and complex needs. The money is being put towards an extension to the hospice’s multi-sensory room.
Leeds-based Community Links, which provides community mental health services in Yorkshire and The Humber for children and families, and currently supports over 700 people.
ESCAYP, a recently launched charity based in Gomersal, that supports children and young people via various children’s centres throughout West Yorkshire. Services are provided by qualified, professional counsellors and therapists experienced in working with safeguarding and child protection issues.
Herefordshire Council’s housing charity for young people SHYPP, which works with 16 to 25-year-olds across the county, offering emergency and medium term accommodation in supported housing projects, outreach support to young people and young parents, a 'Nightstop' emergency accommodation project and education in schools.
Two charities in Trowbridge, Wiltshire - Splitz Support Service and Hope Nature Centre. Splitz provides services to vulnerable, disadvantaged children, families and adults with experience of separation, divorce and domestic violence. Hope Nature Centre works with adults with learning difficulties and is developing an outside play space that has both educational and recreational value.
Child Victims of Crime in Staffordshire, a police-run charity that provides material support for any child victim up to the age of 16 years who has been a victim of, or traumatised by any criminal offence committed in the UK. Children are nominated by serving police officers.
Friends of Blaenau Children’s Centre, Llandybie Ammanford, Wales - a group of parents who are raising money for a garden project that enables children to play out in all weathers. It will also be used by local schools and community groups.
Little Havens Children’s Hospice, of Thundersley, which provides respite breaks, symptom control and end of life care for children across Essex living with life limiting illnesses and their families.
Demelza House, Bobbing Sittingbourne, Kent, which welcomes any child with a life-limiting condition at any stage of their illness or health, providing life care, bereavement support, short break respite and specialist care to over 600 families.
Sunfield Children's Homes, Stourbridge, West Midlands, which provides tailor-made education and 52-week residential care for 65 children with severe and complex learning needs, including profound autism. They are referred to Sunfield by local authorities from across the UK.
KADA - Kids Against Domestic Abuse – covering Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire. KADA was established by a group of teenagers to raise awareness of the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people, to emphasis the message of zero tolerance to the use of abuse in relationships, and to raise funds to help support children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.
Community Action Southwark (CAS), the umbrella body for all charities in Southwark, providing support services to help them fulfil their true potential. CAS also assists local charities to ‘have a voice’ through effective representation at various levels of local government.
SUCAL Somali UK Community & Association Link and Chettle Park Rangers Youth Football Club in Haringey, London (each receives £1,000). SUCAL provide sports and homework support to almost 100 young Somalies in Haringey and the donation is being used to provide educational resources. Chettle Park Rangers FC is using its windfall towards providing weekly football activities to over 200 local young people.
Abby Dacres, Safeguarding Children e-Academy manager, said: “We continue to make donations to child-related charities at home and abroad and take pride in seeing that our efforts are making a real difference to deserving children, young people and their families in extreme need.”