LISTENING TO VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Run by psychotherapist Camila Batmanghelidjh, this outfit offers a range of services for more than 11,000 vulnerable and 'hard to reach' children. Highlights of 2007 included helping over 750 kids at its drop-in centre, and its 'Urban Academy' which provides education for more than 175 children with behavioural difficulties. A lengthy annual report nonetheless doesn't tell us enough about what the charity actually did in 2007, and mentions its apparently difficult financial situation only in passing. A seriously disappointing performance.

Read the charity's reply

QUALITY OF REPORTING What is this?	48 %
How much info does the charity want to share? This score, taken from our search for 43 key points in the annual report, gives the answer. Top mark is 100%. Anything over 70% is a good effort.
SIZE OF CHARITY... What is this?	Medium
We only profile the largest charities in England & Wales, and our sizes are relative to the largest and smallest among them. So where we describe a charity as 'Small', it is still much larger than the national average.
HIGHEST SALARY What is this?	Under £60k
Taken from the vague bandings given in annual reports; note that 'Under £60k' could be £9k or £59k. Nonetheless the number of bars should roughly correlate with the 'Size of charity' bars.
ETHICAL INVESTMENT POLICY What is this?	Unknown
We asked the charity if it has an ethical investment policy. If yes, it gets an angel. Those with no policy but which don't invest in tobacco/arms get a halo. Those without investments, or who didn't respond, appear neutral. Those with stakes in arms/tobacco get a fallen angel.

But don't just take our word for it...

• Kids Company's website
• The Big Give project information
• Charity Commission entry and link to Kids Company's annual report

Kids Company works with children whose parents are not able to care for them appropriately. Staff function in a parenting capacity, strengthening the biological carer, supplementing, or substituting them. 73% of our money pays for specialist staff, 18% for children’s practical needs and 9% goes on infrastructure. In 2008, every £1 we raised was matched by £1 in voluntary contributions from 5,600 volunteers. Funding difficulties have arisen because almost all of our children self-refer, meaning that there is no commissioning agent paying for the services they receive. These are typically extremely vulnerable children who have fallen beneath the radar of statutory agencies. We never turn a child away, so demands on our finances are always high.