Impact Report 19-20

It was also during the year that we created our 2020 – 2025 Buttle UK Chances for Children Strategy. A key pillar of this strategy is to constantly learn from data available internally to develop and improve grant giving activities.

We have therefore produced our first Impact Report, which can be read HERE.

The numbers and stories throughout this report are heart-warming and heart-breaking in equal measure. They highlight the trauma and adversities children and young people in poverty and crisis have to face on a daily basis and the essential items children and young people are living without. They also show how a little really can go a long way; a simple injection of a relatively small amount of money – up to £2,000 – can be life changing for some children and young people.

However, the data in this report also helps us to see what else can be doing to constantly improve our grant giving work. This is the focus of our 5-year strategy, but this year has been an unprecedented one, where we have had very quickly to scale up our grant giving in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The experience has taught us even more about these grants, having had to change some of the processes and ways we are delivering them at pace. More importantly we have seen the incredibly positive impact they can have within even more challenging environments for both children and young people, and for the frontline agencies that we work with. There will be plenty more to reflect on as a result in next year’s report.

We cannot express our gratitude enough to the parents, children, young people and frontline referral partners who have taken the time to make applications for grants and complete evaluation surveys. Without you, we would not be able to show just how vital and beneficial Chances for Children grants are for children and young people in poverty and crisis.

Summary of Grant Giving Activities

In 2019-2020:

• £947,594 was spent to provide 4,729 items in the home.
• £595,081 was spent on 2,857 activities and items outside the home, and £788,892 was spent on school fees within the Boarding Chances for Children programme.

Callum ‘s story

Callum (19) was made homeless by his parents at 16 years old due to family breakdown. He spent months sofa surfing with friends before being referred to an agency for support. This agency have provided supported accommodation and independent living skills training, and a key worker has been working with him over the last two years. Callum has had no contact or support from any family members since he was 16. He was keen to pursue a career in teaching, and had been working hard in college to do an access course to university.

Financial struggles were preventing Callum from fully engaging in his education. He could not afford the equipment needed.

Callum was awarded a laptop and clothes for college, as well as a bike to enable him to travel to college without the expense of public transport. To support his wellbeing and overall health, Callum was also awarded a leisure centre membership. A few months after receiving this grant, Callum’s key worker contacted Buttle UK to say that Callum had been awarded independent accommodation, but that this accommodation was not furnished to meet his needs. With the remaining funds, we were able to provide Callum with a bed, whitegoods and other items to help make his new house a home.