Education

How many people did Kids Company help?

Published

11 years ago

September 4, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Camila Batmangeildjh, formerly of Kid’s Company: Charity lived
hand to mouth

THE NOW-DEFUNCT charity claimed to reach 36,000 people in London, Bristol and Liverpool.

And if you look at Kids Company’s 2011 annual report, you’ll find the same claim there, and in the reports for 2012 and 2013.

But over the same period the charity claimed that demand for its services was increasing, and accounts show frontline expenditure was rising.

So either the 36,000 figure for earlier years was too high, the 36,000 figure for later years was too low, or there was a dramatic rise in the cost of helping the charity’s clients.

It’s also not clear who was being helped. While the charity’s annual reports say the 36,000 were “children, young people and vulnerable adults”, it’s been reported that the number may also include school staff.

The charity’s own annual reports for 2011, 2012 and 2013 each said that demand for services was rising.

In each year, they show Kids Company hiring more staff and spending more on frontline services.

And in each year the number of people helped is listed as 36,000.

From 2011 to 2013, the wage bill at Kids Company rose from a bit over £7 million to almost £12 million. The average number of employees rose by 166 people (full-time equivalent).

It seems unlikely that there’d be no increase in the number of clients served at the same time as rising demand, a £7.4m increase in spending on charitable activities, and 166 more workers.

The charity was still using the 36,000 figure in the days before its demise. The 2013 report was the last published.

Even assuming that the 36,000 figure is accurate, it’s not immediately clear who the 36,000 people helped were and where they might be found.

The 2013 annual report said that ‘Kids Company currently supports some 36,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults’.

However, the Spectator reports that this might not quite be a full accounting. It quotes an email sent to Miles Goslett which said that: ‘When we refer to clients they include children, young people, young adults with special needs, carers, i.e. foster parents or parents who predominantly have mental health difficulties, and school staff’.

In addition to this, Kids Company itself was not consistent in how it described the figure, sometimes saying the 36,000 were ‘vulnerable children across London’, and sometimes saying they were children, young people and families spread across London, Bristol and Liverpool.

Kids Company policy was ‘not to turn away any child in need’.

In the context of a paragraph outlining how a combination of cuts to government services and lower incomes had pushed children and young people towards poverty, it is hard to square this with no increase in total users.

The section of their 2013 Summary Information Return in full: ‘In 2013, the continued effect of the recession and local authorities’ pursuit to comply with the government public spending cuts have led to significant cuts in their provision of frontline youth and children’s services. These frontline services are essential for most children and young people, particularly the vulnerable, to survive and become resilient. The cumulative impact of the rise in cost of living, cuts to services and reduction in household income have continued to push children and young people towards poverty.

‘Total income raised in the year was £23.1m, representing growth of 14% compared to the previous 12 months. Service provision has grown in line with demand for services, as Kids Company policy is not to turn away any child in need. 2013 saw continued increase in demand for Kids Company services, leading to a 23% increase in expenditure on frontline service delivery. Although the charity has grown rapidly it has kept overhead costs to a minimum.’

Since the Charity’s demise a number of stories have appeared in the national press and on television that appear to highlight allegedly inadequate financial controls.

The Charity’s onetime Chief Executive, Carmila Batmangeilidjh has claimed that the charity’s collapse is the fault of the government, civil servants, and malicious coverage in the media. She has not explained why the charity breached the terms of a £3m bailout from the government which led to the money’s withdrawal.

In addition, it has not been made clear precisely why the charity failed to build up reserves when, according to its own reports cited above, the number of children in claimed to have helped had not risen even when its income had.

Herald Deputy Editor Jon Coles writes: Back in 2000, I was working for a recruitment agency’s litigation department. Kids Company had recruited using the agency but not paid. From memory, the sum involved was around £8,500.

My employers had sued, got judgement, I decided to send in what was then called the Sheriff to get the money. The Sheriff’s man rang me to say he had been given a tale of woe by the charity’s boss about how broke they were and left empty-handed. What did I want to do?

I usually dealt with debt write offs on a Friday and this was a Thursday. I told the Sheriff I would deal with it in the morning.

Sitting at home at 10:30pm, Newsnight came on BBC2. Imagine my surprise when Camila Batmanghelidjh appeared to announce how delighted she was that so much funding was coming in to the charity. Massive funding had been received and the future, according to Ms Batmanghelidjh was indeed bright.

I rang the Sheriff in the morning, told him to go back and serve a statutory demand threatening to wind up the charity if they did not pay.

Within a matter of hours, we had cleared funds in for the full amount plus costs and interest.

Cymraeg

Welsh language report says students face mixed experiences across colleges and universities

Published

4 days ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW report has found that Welsh-speaking students face inconsistent access to Welsh language services across Wales’ colleges and universities.

The research, published by the Welsh Language Commissioner on Monday (May 25), gathered responses from more than 1,500 further and higher education students.

It examined four key areas: whether students can submit written work in Welsh, choose accommodation with Welsh-speaking students, access a Welsh-speaking personal tutor, and receive wellbeing support through the medium of Welsh.

The report also looked at the wider language culture on campuses, including how institutions promote Welsh language services and support students to use Welsh naturally in academic and social settings.

Osian Llywelyn, Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner, said colleges and universities had a vital role in helping students use Welsh as part of everyday life.

He said: “Given the importance of sustaining and developing the continued use of the Welsh language, it is essential to recognise the key role that further education colleges and higher education institutions play in ensuring that students have the opportunity to use Welsh naturally as part of their academic and social lives.

“While it is encouraging to see strong examples of good practice, that experience is not consistent across the sector. As a result, we have identified clear improvement actions, and we will be asking the relevant institutions to address them.”

Five improvement actions have been identified. These include standardising Welsh-medium assessment arrangements, proactively offering Welsh language services rather than simply making them available on request, addressing gaps in workforce Welsh-language skills, strengthening students’ sense of belonging through Welsh, and improving self-assessment and monitoring.

James Owen, Chief Executive of Medr, the body responsible for funding and regulating tertiary education in Wales, said the findings showed the need for more support across the sector.

He said Medr’s new Welsh Language Condition would place a clearer focus on providers promoting and supporting the use of Cymraeg, and on creating formal and informal opportunities for staff and learners to develop their Welsh-language skills.

Ioan Matthews, Chief Executive of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, said students’ experiences of Welsh at college or university could influence their willingness and ability to use the language later in the workplace.

He said the report showed the need for the Welsh-language experience to extend “well beyond the classroom”.

The report will be officially launched at the Welsh Language Commissioner’s stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Anglesey at 11:00am on Monday (May 25).

Education

£1,500 cash bursary announced for aspiring local youngsters

Published

5 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

FOLLOWING its previous success, Ceredigion Youth Service is fortunate to accept another opportunity provided by West Wales Holiday Cottages to support young people with a cash bursary this year.

The purpose of the bursary is to provide young people aged between 11 and 25 with the chance to receive £1,500 to help with their future aspirations. The successful applicant(s) will be chosen by Ceredigion Youth Forum, which is a panel made up of young people from Ceredigion.

Gwion Bowen, Senior Support Officer Participation, said: “We are very grateful to West Wales Holiday Cottages for providing us with this opportunity for young people in Ceredigion for the ninth year in succession. Like ourselves, West Wales Holiday Cottages recognise that many young people living in Ceredigion may experience difficulties in accessing training, support and social activities due to socio-economic issues. The bursary was extremely successful last year, with a young person gaining financial support to help them with their mobile beauty start up business.”

Councillor Wyn Thomas, Cabinet for Schools and Lifelong Learning, said: “I would like to encourage anyone aged between 11 and 25 who needs financial support to reach their goals to consider this fantastic opportunity. As with previous years, I hope that the bursary is a success again this year, and that it will benefit young people in Ceredigion.”

Lisa Stopher, Managing Director at West Wales Holiday Cottages said, “West Wales Holiday Cottages are delighted to be supporting the bursary once again in partnership with Ceredigion Youth Service. We recognise that many young people can face barriers when accessing opportunities, training and resources, and we hope this bursary will continue to make a positive difference by giving young people the support they need to pursue their goals and aspirations.”

Do you need financial support to reach your goals? Would you benefit from having financial support to help you with training or equipment that is required for your chosen vocation? Are you looking for support to start your own enterprise? Are you a member of a community group and looking for financial support to purchase resources or equipment?

The closing date for applications is midnight on 19 July 2026. If you’re interested, contact Gwion Bowen on 07790 812939 or e-mail [email protected] for an application form.

Education

Ashmole & Co fund future accountants with financial donation to primary school

Published

5 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S would-be mathematicians are being given a major boost in their careers thanks to an Ashmole & Co donation to Ysgol Llandybie Primary School.

The donation, funded by the company’s Ammanford office, will help with the annual purchase of the online MyMaths resource which uses the online resource to help pupils and parents with the teaching of maths at home as well as allowing teachers to set tasks and provide them with tutorials to show them the mathematical concepts being taught.
The programme can assist in all areas of mathematics from shape to space, and from data to financial literacy.

Laura Craddock, Partner in Ashmole & Co’s Ammanford office, said, “We are always keen
to offer our support locally. We are more than happy to help fund the online resource
MyMaths to help train the local accountants of the future from a young age.”

Llandybie Primary School Head Teacher, Rhian Pritchard, said, “We are keen to continue
using online resources to enhance our pupils’ learning experience but they come at an extra
cost. We are grateful to Ashmole and Co for the donation which will enable us to continue
the provision of online maths learning.”