Youth groups step in after Kids Company collapse

Families gathered outside the charity's offices to express their anger at the closure

A network of regional youth groups is stepping in to help thousands of children left without support in the wake of Kids Company's collapse.

Working with the Cabinet Office, UK Youth, an umbrella charity, is pledging that no child falls through the cracks after Kids Company closed on Wednesday.

Charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh said fears for the children's future were "breaking her heart".

The Cabinet Office said the young people's welfare was its main concern.

It also said it was now working closely with local authorities to make sure they had access to the services they require.

'100% committed'

Abigail Oatway, senior national programme manager for UK Youth, which oversees a network of youth clubs and organisations, said: "I am confident that they will pull together to ensure that the young people who are being affected get the services and support they need.

"My CEO is 100% committed to ensuring that these young people get the services and support they need."

She said UK Youth had been keeping a close eye on the Kids Company situation for the past few weeks, but this had intensified over the past few days following talks with the Cabinet Office.

Earlier, Ms Batmanghelidjh made a robust defence of the work of her charity, which is facing accusations of financial mismanagement, and attempts to raise enough funds to support it.

'No capacity'

She said it had taken on work with children which should have been undertaken by statutory social services, and she put the number considered vulnerable at 36,000.

"They say that social services are going to be able to take care of them.

"It has no capacity. In fact we have had a whole department made up of solicitors and social workers whose entire role was to try to get these kids into social services and child mental health," she added.

"We used to have to go to judicial review because social work departments wouldn't take the cases because they just can't."

She also defended her charity's approach to taking on cases.

"What are you going to do when a 10-year-old turns up asking for help, saying they've been raped. Are you going to say, 'Sorry, I don't have enough money, go away'?"

'In deficit'

Ms Batmanghelidjh suggested there was no longer the same amount of money in the private sector available to charity fundraisers.

This was reflected by Mrs Oatway, who highlighted the very difficult funding climate in which youth charities were operating.

She also warned that the days of a "generic youth service" in every local area were dying.

"Funding for the youth sector has been cut and cut, and services upon services have closed, " she said. "Everything from buildings being sold to youth workers being made redundant."

Much of this, she said, was down to councils in many areas putting services out to local tender within the charity sector and requiring charities to find funding for half or two-thirds of the original grant.

UK Youth said last year 77% of regional youth organisations in its membership were in deficit.

According to its annual report from 2013-14, statutory youth services nationally have had their funding cut by 33% since 2011. Since 2012, 2,000 youth workers' posts have been cut and 350 youth clubs across the country have been closed down, it adds.

David Simmonds, who chairs the Local Government Association's children and young people board, said: "When a charity such as Kids Company closes, and it has been providing services commissioned by a council, we will ensure that any vulnerable users are identified and supported appropriately."