CHILDREN’S CHARITIES IN CRISIS
Early Intervention and the State
Alison Body
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by
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“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa
Dedicated to my husband, Tom, and our two sons, Iden and Quinlan, with love.
Contents
List of figures and tables
About the author
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I: Preventative services and children’s charities: policy and paradigm shifts
1New Labour, children’s services and the third sector
2Contemporary preventative services, coalitions and the Conservatives
Part II: On the frontline of early intervention
3The policy and service delivery field of early intervention services
4State education: the relationships between schools and charity?
Part III: The lived realities of commissioning children’s early intervention services
5Commissioning children’s services: challenges, contestation and crisis
6The changing role of children’s charities delivering early intervention services
7Partnership working, securing advantage and playing the game: thriving, not just surviving
Part IV: Concluding thoughts
8The action imperative to do things differently?
Appendix
References
Index
List of figures and tables
Figures
4.2Average amount raised per school, versus index of multiple deprivation data
4.3Average amount of volunteer time per pupil per week, versus index of multiple deprivation data
7.1The four adopted approaches to commissioning
Tables
5.1Changes in children’s charities income by size 2008–2014 (%)
6.1Charity types and relationships with key stakeholders
A1Financial size of children’s charities included in the quantitative data
A2Geographical service coverage of children’s charities included in the quantitative data
A3Financial size of children’s charities represented in the qualitative data
Alison Body is a lecturer in philanthropic studies with the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent. Formerly the Faculty Director of Early Childhood at Canterbury Christ Church University, she has long been interested in how the voluntary sector can support children in achieving positive outcomes. Previously a CEO of a leading children’s charity and a lead Commissioning Officer for early intervention services for Kent County Council, she has significant experience of working closely with voluntary sector organisations and funders to deliver essential services which achieve maximum impact for children, families and communities. Drawing on over a decade in practice, Alison was awarded her PhD in Social Policy in 2017 from the University of Kent. Her thesis focused on the commissioning of early intervention services.
Since then Alison has become an established academic publishing research focusing on children, charity and fundraising. Her latest publications explore the relationship between third sector organisations and the state, the role of voluntary action in education and how children learn philanthropic behaviours. Alison also holds a number of voluntary positions including Trustee of the Voluntary Sector Studies