When Methodist minister Thomas Bowman Stephenson saw children living rough under the arches of Waterloo station in London, he decided he had to act. And his first action was to listen. He paid children the respect of hearing their stories, before working out the most practical way to help.
A century and a half later, the spirit of our founder remains our inspiration.
Our 7,000 staff and volunteers operate over 600 services improving the lives of over 370,000 children, young people, parents and carers across the UK. Our mission is to do what’s right, do what’s needed, and do what works for children. We succeed by doing what’s right, doing what’s needed, and doing what works for children.