Working with the John Lewis Partnership to support young people in care
We are delighted to be working with John Lewis to support children and young people with experience of the care system. This year's iconic John Lewis advert highlights the ongoing partnership - you can view a short film about the story behind the advert here.
Imran Hussain, Director of Policy & Campaigns, Action for Children, says: “At Action for Children we want every child to have a safe and happy childhood. Every year, we work with over 40,000 children and young people in, or with experience of, the care system, and we know the challenges and poor outcomes they may face. We are delighted to be working with the John Lewis Partnership on its iconic Christmas advert and applaud the company for its work and long-term commitment to shining a light on the issues facing some of the most vulnerable children in the country. We believe this partnership will enable us to support and empower more children and young people as they make the transition from care into the adult world.”
Read about four ways we support children in care here.
The John Lewis Christmas advert highlights the importance of children’s social care. Now we need to fix it. The government must commit to invest and reform children’s social care, writes Joe Lane, Action for Children’s Head of Policy & Research. Read more here.
Be a Secret Santa to support vulnerable children this Christmas
Many children in the UK are facing a Christmas without food, warmth or toys this year.
We’re working hard to change this by growing a community of Secret Santas to help.
Will you add one of our essentials to your shopping list this year and help vulnerable children across the UK? There is also an option to purchase our charity Christmas cards to support the campaign. Find out how to be a Secret Santa here.
Our TV advert is supporting our Secret Santa campaign - you can watch it here.
Christmas worship resources - are you holding a special service this Advent and Christmas?
We've created a worship outline for churches that wish to hold special services to support and pray for our work. The prayers, poems and stories are based on the theme, ‘Warm welcome’. Visit our dedicated page actionforchildren.uk/worship to download a copy. If you are holding a special service in support of our work this year please do let us know - tag us into your social media or drop us an email here.
If you're a church, district or circuit contact who hasn't been receiving our newsletter and the worship outline by post, please email ask.us@actionforchildren.org.uk with your details and we will add you to our mailing list.
Parent Talk report
New research using data from our Parent Talk service reveals huge demand for support with special educational needs and disabilities.
Parent Talk is a first-of-its-kind free online service which provides accessible and trustworthy advice, support, and reassurance for parents and carers of children aged 0-19. Parents and carers can access 1-to-1 advice from parenting coaches – trained family support workers – as well as support and advice articles across a range of common parenting challenges.
Read our insights into common parenting challenges, and the barriers people face accessing support services here.