Finance Score: 2
Governance Score: 2
Support Score: 12
  • Strong growth: +2
  • No PartB
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Mainly female board: -1
  • Large volunteers +3
  • Grant maker support: +9
Overall GiG Score: 16 ?

FREE TO BE KIDS 

Free to Be Kids provides respite holidays, therapeutic adventures, after-school support and a range of year round residentials for children who are struggling with social or emotional difficulties, significant social/financial disadvantage or who are growing up in marginalised communities. Without our work, many would not have support or a break from often extremely difficult home circumstances.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity has been successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers
  • The Board appears to be dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • The Board is predominantly female
  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

  • A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data
  • There has been a change of accounting period recently, so trends may be hard to determine

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
N.B. data has been adjusted to reflect year end change
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/12/22£412£428£-16n/an/an/an/an/a201
31/12/21?£457£264£192n/an/an/an/an/a181
05/12/20£192£147£45n/an/an/an/an/a178
05/12/19£203£187£16n/an/an/an/an/a145
05/12/18£91£89£2£0£0£0n/a0112
05/12/17£64£55£9£0£0£0n/a00
05/12/16£17£16£1£0£0£0n/a00

Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000
Established: 8 years

www.freetobekids.org.uk

hello@freetobekids.org.uk

02037780323

Charity Commission for England and WalesFacebookX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
  • Other Charitable Purposes
  • Recreation
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
GiG Classification
  • Emotional support, counselling or therapy
How it operates
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Throughout London, West Sussex,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
London Borough of Southwark£32,400
The Childhood Trust£30,000
Masonic Trust£15,000
DCMS£14,219
The Berkeley Foundation£12,050
The Grocers' Charity£5,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Free to be Kids
£1,000 22/05/2024
Unrestricted, via The Funding Network
Masonic Trust - MCF Small Grant
£15,000 06/09/2023
Unrestricted core funding for small charities
The Childhood Trust - Thrive Outside: postive mental health & confidence
£20,000 20/06/2023
Using nature based residential projects and outdoor adventures, with follow-on year round mentoring and other support, we help some of London's most disadvantaged children to rebuild fragile ....more
Haberdashers' Company - Uplift grant
£600 10/05/2023
Contribution to core costs in Cost of Living crisis
Haberdashers' Company - Thrive Outside Lewisham Project
£3,000 19/04/2023
Residential for 30 vulnerable/disadvantaged young people (8-13)
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Free to be Kids
£3,600 31/03/2023
Public Health grant from the Childrens & Adults Services department for Holiday activity & food grants Easter 2022
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Free to Be Kids
£19,800 31/03/2023
Public Health grant from the Childrens & Adults Services department for Holiday activity & food grants Summer 2022
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Free to Be Kids
£500 20/10/2022
0
‘Cost of Living uplift: £500 to help projects meet their rising costs and respond to increased demand 31/10/2022’
The Childhood Trust - C-59256
£5,000 28/06/2022
Using nature based residential projects and outdoor adventures we support some of London's most disadvantaged children to rebuild often fragile emotional health, and to believe in the power of their ....more
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Free to be Kids
£9,000 31/03/2022
Public Health grant from the Environment & Leisure department for Holiday activity & food grants summer 2021
The Childhood Trust - Thrive Outside: Joy, adventure & self-belief
£5,000 22/06/2021
Using nature based residential projects and outdoor adventures we support some of London's most disadvantaged children to rebuild often fragile emotional health, and to believe in the power of their ....more
The Grocers' Charity - 2020 Free to Be Kids
£5,000 24/04/2020
Improving support for disadvantaged children and young people
The Fore - RAFT COVID-19 response grant to Free to Be Kids
£4,000 17/04/2020
36
Grant from The Fore's RAFT Immediate Response Fund to Free to Be Kids, as part of The Fore's COVID-19 Response programme.
DCMS - UK Youth Fund YAF
£9,479 28/02/2020
London
DCMS - UK Youth Fund YAF
£4,740 28/02/2020
London. The wider aim of the scheme is: To deliver onward grants to increase positive activities for young people by delivering extra sessions in youth clubs for the financial year 2019/20
The Berkeley Foundation - Building a central database of volunteer and children’s records
£12,050 04/11/2019
Capacity building grant supporting the development of a central database to manage volunteer and children’s records.
Greater London Authority - Young Londoners Fund
£360,000 01/10/2018
60
To help children and young people fulfil their potential, particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime.
Greater London Authority - Young Londoners Fund
£72,000 01/10/2018
To help children and young people fulfil their potential, particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime.
Greater London Authority - Young Londoners Fund
£72,000 01/10/2018
To help children and young people fulfil their potential, particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime.
Greater London Authority - Young Londoners Fund
£72,000 01/10/2018
To help children and young people fulfil their potential, particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime.
National Lottery Community Fund - Thrive Outside Gateway Project
£9,291 14/09/2018
12
The funding will be used to deliver residential trips for children who have experienced hardship. The projects aims to increase confidence and self-esteem whilst fostering friendships.
The Fore - Grant to Free to Be Kids
£30,000 01/08/2018
24
Free to Be Kids runs therapeutic residential courses focussed on improving confidence, emotional wellbeing and behaviour in school. Led by experienced social workers, it works with the most ....more
The Fore - Grant to Free to Be Kids
£30,000 13/07/2018
24
The Fore’s grant will fund the salary of a sessional worker, who will support the day-to-day management of residential courses, freeing up the co-founders to expand the organisation and improve its ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Free to Be Kids
£27,450 08/05/2018
36
A summer residential for 360 8-13 year olds experiencing local deprivation, family difficulties or living in temporary accommodation. The residential will support children to increase their ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (11)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 10/11 persons

Legal constitution
  • Charity registered in England & Wales on 22/02/2016, number: 1165678
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
7 returns made; all on time
Recent reorganisation events:
  • Asset transfer in from OLIVER '68 on 22/02/2024
Main office

Free to Be Kids c/o Living Space
1 Coral Street
Lambeth
London
SE1 7BE

Objectives

THE OBJECTS OF FREE TO BE KIDS AS THEY APPEAR WITHIN SECTION (3) (THE OBJECTS CLAUSE) OF THE GOVERNING DOCUMENT ARE AS FOLLOWS:3. OBJECT[S] (1) THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE, FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, THE RELIEF OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE RESIDING IN LONDON AND THE SOUTH-EAST, OR ANY OTHER UK LOCATION WITH A SIMILAR NEED PROFILE AS THE TRUSTEES MAY FROM TIME TO TIME DETERMINE, WHO ARE IN NEED BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, ILL-HEALTH, DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE VIA THE PROVISION OF SERVICES THAT:(A) SUPPORT THEM TO DEVELOP BETTER EMOTIONAL HEALTH, BUILD INNER STRENGTHS TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES WITHIN THEIR LIVES AND CONSEQUENTLY TO MANAGE BETTER WITHIN SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AT HOME, SCHOOL OR WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES.(B) PROVIDE PRACTICAL SUPPORT, ADVICE OR GUIDANCE.(C) INCREASE ACCESS TO NEW OR ENRICHING EXPERIENCES THAT WILL FACILITATE SOCIAL LEARNING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SKILLS.(2) IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, WE WILL PROVIDE:(A) A RANGE OF THERAPEUTIC ADVENTURES AND RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS.(B) INDIVIDUAL MENTORING SUPPORT.(C) GROUP BASED ACTIVITIES WITH A THERAPEUTIC COMPONENT.(D) GROUP BASED ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW LIFE SKILLS.(3) DEFINITIONS:FOR THE PURPOSES OF THESE CLAUSES:(A) 'CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE' MEANS INDIVIDUALS AGED 0-18. (SUPPORT MAY BE EXTENDED TO THE FAMILIES OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD THE PRINCIPLE AIM OF THIS SUPPORT BE TO BENEFIT A PARTICULAR CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON WITHIN THE FAMILY.)(B) 'LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST' MEANS ANY OF THE LONDON BOROUGHS AND ANY COUNTY SHARING A BOUNDARY WITH A LONDON BOROUGH, NAMELY ESSEX, HERTFORDSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, BERKSHIRE, SURREY AND KENT. ADDITIONALLY THE COUNTIES OF OXFORDSHIRE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND EAST & WEST SUSSEX ARE INCLUDED WITHIN THE DEFINITION.(C) 'EMOTIONAL HEALTH' MEANS THOSE ASPECTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S PSYCHOLOGICAL MAKE UP WHICH AFFECT CAPACITY TO APPROPRIATELY RECOGNISE AND DISPLAY EMOTION, THEIR SENSE OF WHO THEY ARE IN THE WORLD AND THEIR CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO SOCIAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES.(D) 'SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS' MEANS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS IN SOCIETY E.G. SIBLINGS, PARENTS, FRIENDS, SCHOOL TEACHERS, CLASSMATES.(E) 'THERAPEUTIC' MEANS EITHER INTRINSICALLY BY ITS NATURE, OR SPECIFICALLY IN THE WAY THE ACTIVITY IS SET UP, SUPPORTIVE TO RECOVERING FROM A DIFFICULTY OR PROBLEM. SPECIFICALLY IN THIS CASE DIFFICULTIES IN TERMS OF EMOTIONAL HEALTH.(F) 'RESIDENTIAL' MEANS THE PROJECT WILL CONTAIN AT LEAST ONE OVERNIGHT STAY AWAY FROM THE CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON'S HOME.(4) NOTHING IN THIS CONSTITUTION SHALL AUTHORISE AN APPLICATION OF THE PROPERTY OF THE CIO FOR THE PURPOSES WHICH ARE NOT CHARITABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH UK LAW.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

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