Leave them
someone
to turn to
Mia needs
somebody like you
A gift in your Will can
leave a vulnerable child
someone to turn to
Vulnerable children in the UK have been
turning to Barnardo’s for nearly 150 years
You’ve been part of our
history. You can be a
part of our future too.
Thomas Barnardo started his
charitable work for children
in 1866, and developed a
clear vision: never to turn a
child away. He was horrified
by the destitution he saw
amongst the poorest children
of London, and he resolved to
do whatever he could to help.
By the end of his life in 1905,
he had set up 96 homes,
caring for over 55,000
children in his lifetime.
Did you know?
The last Barnardo’s
orphanage closed in 1989.
Today we are helping
transform children’s lives
by reaching out to them
in their communities.
It was a staggering life’s work.
But he could not have done it
alone. Thomas Barnardo wasn’t
rich, he was only able to carry
out his pioneering work for
children thanks to money from
members of the public. It was
their generosity that made
Barnardo’s work possible.
Almost 150 years later,
Thomas Barnardo’s legacy
remains alive and well in the
charity that bears his name.
The nature of our work has
changed – we no longer run
care homes – but the principle
is still the same. And it’s still
the generosity of people like
you that makes so much of our
work for children possible.
In addition to the work that you
will read about in the following
pages, Barnardo’s is one of
the UK’s biggest providers
of fostering and adoption
services as well as a huge
source of support for disabled
children and their families.
What the future holds for
children and young people
is uncertain. But whatever
happens, you can be sure
Barnardo’s will be there
for them to turn to. And by
leaving a gift to support
our work in your Will, you
can be there for them too.
A gift in your Will can
help us meet children’s
needs for years to come
Care Leavers
Young Carers
Mia needs someone
she can trust
Ben needs someone
he can talk to
Mia was taken into care when
she was 14, after years of
being physically and mentally
abused by her mother.
She was a troubled child, and
her foster placements didn’t
work out well. When the time
came for her to leave care, Mia
felt she had nobody to turn
to. That’s before she was put
in touch with Barnardo’s.
We introduced Mia to a
support worker who gave her
the practical and emotional
support she needed. We
helped her find a way to live
independently and successfully
after leaving care. We helped
her learn to cook, and manage
money. As Mia says herself:
“They never gave up on me.
When the Barnardo’s worker
came, I swore at her and
didn’t make it easy for her –
but she never turned her back
on me. It took a while for me
to trust her, but she made
me see things differently
and helped me to move on.”
Thanks to the untiring
support and guidance she
was given, Mia is now doing
well at college and even has
her own flat. She plans to
become a support worker
herself when she is 21, to
help other care leavers.
“I’m living proof that even if
you’ve been in care, you can
make something of your life.”
Ben was referred to Barnardo’s
by a social worker when
he was 15. His mum was
suffering from physical and
mental illnesses, and Ben
took on a lot of responsibility
in caring for her.
He would take care of his
mum’s personal-care needs,
as well as doing the shopping,
the housework, the laundry,
looking after his siblings,
cooking meals, and even
making sure the family’s
bills were paid on time.
It affected his schoolwork and
his personal development. He
became isolated, unhappy,
stressed and lonely. He
was finding it difficult to
sleep and was not eating
as much as he needed.
Barnardo’s gave Ben someone
he could turn to; someone who
could help him talk about his
feelings. We introduced him to
a support group that helped
boost his self-esteem and
make him feel less alone. His
project worker also developed
a plan that helped Ben reduce
the amount of responsibility
he was dealing with at home
to get his childhood back.
“I was so grateful for the
help you gave me during the
most demanding time and
the biggest strain on my
life. Especially the one-toone support you gave me.”
Ben was there for his mum.
And with your continued
support, Barnardo’s can be
there for another child like Ben.
Our work
In the past, children
came to us when they
needed someone to turn
to. But today we go to
them. With your help,
we can be there for more
vulnerable children at
home, in school, and
in their communities
in the future.
Leaving a gift in your Will to
Barnardo’s is a way for you to
leave vulnerable children with
some of the most effective child
support services in the UK.
Barnardo’s runs more than
900 vital services around the
country. Each one is set up to
respond to its community’s
needs and to work closely
with the children who live
there. Last year alone, our
services were there for over
200,000 children and their
families. The demand for our
services looks set to increase
Leave children someone to turn to
wherever and whenever they need it
Did you know?
in future, and we will need all
the help we can get to meet it.
One crucial way a gift in
your Will can make a real
difference is to help fund
our support services for
sexually exploited children.
We are the largest provider
of these services in the UK,
and the need for them rose by
34% in the last year alone.
Sexual abusers are becoming
increasingly sophisticated –
using the internet to mask
Barnardo’s is
currently the
UK’s largest
provider
of support
and care to
children who
have suffered
sexual
exploitation.
their identity and trafficking
children around the country
to avoid detection. The
average age of children at
risk of sexual abuse is just 13
years old – they’re vulnerable
and they need our services
now more than ever.
You can also help us be there
for children exposed to
domestic violence, whether
they have suffered it or
been forced to witness it.
Barnardo’s will continue to
ease the long-term effects of
domestic violence on children
through counselling and
family support services.
But this is just the tip of the
iceberg when it comes to
the work we do to support
children. We provide crucial
one-to-one support, we help
disabled children and their
families, we teach valuable life
skills, we provide guidance
where guidance is needed, we
stand up for children’s rights
and we work with families to
prevent abuse. We take a truly
holistic view of child welfare.
The world is changing and
will continue to do so. What
won’t change is Barnardo’s
dedication to giving vulnerable
children someone to turn to.
A gift in your Will can help
give vulnerable children
in the UK the support
and care they need
Domestic Abuse
Sexual Exploitation
Arun needs someone
who doesn’t talk with
his fists
Holly needs someone
who doesn’t make her
keep secrets
Arun was taken into foster
care when he was a little boy.
He was frequently exposed
to domestic violence in his
family home. His parents
had problems with substance
abuse, and Arun’s childhood
was far removed from the
peaceful, loving environment
other children enjoy.
At just 10 years old, Arun
had terribly low selfconfidence and started to
copy the behaviour he’d
witnessed in his early
years, becoming violent
towards other children.
When a child acts violently,
it’s often hard for other people
to sympathise with them.
They don’t understand the
child’s behaviour and can
turn away from them. But
Arun had a very difficult and
troubled start in life. He needed
support, not disapproval.
We introduced Arun to Kevin,
a Barnardo’s child support
volunteer. Today, Arun really
looks forward to Kevin’s visits
and he can confide in him
when he needs to. Kevin takes
Arun on outings to football
matches and museums, and
the two of them have built a
strong and trusting friendship.
This friendship has helped
Arun learn to deal with
his anger, and he finally
has a positive adult role
model he can turn to.
Holly was just 13 when she was
referred to Barnardo’s. She was
a victim of sexual exploitation.
Her troubles started at home,
where she had an abusive and
chaotic life with her parents
constantly splitting up. Feeling
unwanted, Holly ran away.
She soon found herself
living rough on the streets
of Middlesbrough: homeless,
vulnerable and with nobody to
look out for her or protect her.
It wasn’t long before Holly
started to be sexually exploited
by men who were twice her
age. She was taken advantage
of, and made to have sex with
them in exchange for money
or food. It was an awful ordeal
for any young girl to go
through. Confused and upset,
Holly started cutting herself.
Barnardo’s arranged safe
accommodation for Holly
and helped her get back
into school. Her support
worker, Jo, offered her a
solid, consistent, respectful
relationship – something she
had never known before.
“I could talk to Jo about
anything. She was the person
that was there, no matter
what. She was always there.”
There’s still a long way to go,
but Holly is slowly getting
her life back on course.
How our care workers
can help children
For children to
turn to someone
like Helen we
need to turn
to supporters
like you
Did you
know?
Even a gift
of 1% of your
estate can help
child support
workers like
Helen continue
to transform
children’s lives
Barnardo’s has 8,000
trained staff and 4,000 child
support volunteers for the
most vulnerable children
to turn to. They work in
900 services, including 130
Children’s Centres, around
the UK and are there for
200,000 children every year.
“Children have
me to turn to”
“I’ve been a child support
worker for Barnardo’s for
seven years. It’s my job
to help young people who
have spent much of their
lives in care make the
difficult and often traumatic
transition into adult life.
My work is vital. Care leavers
are expected to become
independent much earlier than
other children, and they often
lack the emotional strength to
cope. They don’t have a family
to turn to for support and
this can have a huge impact
on their life. Care leavers
are four times more likely to
attempt suicide than other
children. They account for a
quarter of all homeless people
and 40% of current prisoners
under 21 were in care as
children. Without people
like us to help them, their
life chances are really poor.
I work closely with these young
people, and try to find them
employment and training
opportunities. All children
deserve the same chance – if
the training on offer isn’t good
enough for my own children,
it’s certainly not good enough
for the ones I work with.
I also give young people the
guidance they need to support
themselves. Last week I
said goodbye to one young
man who’s now working as a
plumber. I was so proud of him.
Every time Barnardo’s receives
a gift through someone’s
Will, it means another young
person’s life can be turned
around. Recently, thanks to
one very kind supporter, I was
able to help three young care
leavers start an apprenticeship.
One of them has just qualified
as a gym instructor.”
A gift in your Will would
help our 8,000 trained
staff be there for children
when it really matters
Barnardo’s
Tanners Lane
Barkingside
Ilford, Essex
IG6 1QG
For further information or help
contact the Gifts in Wills team at:
Telephone: 020 8498 7880
www.barnardos.org.uk/giftsinwills
Email: [email protected]
The children whose stories we have told here are real. However, we have a duty
to protect their identity, so we hope you will understand why we have changed
names and used models in these photographs.
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and SC037605
Leave them
someone
to turn to