Our vision

Our vision is a world where all children and young people have a sense of belonging and are loved and valued.

A world where they can break through injustice, deprivation and inequality to fulfil their potential, shape their own destiny and experience the joy of life.

Our values

Passion - we are driven by our desire to help children and young people overcome injustice and disadvantage

Equality - we believe all children and young people have equal worth and equal rights

Hope - we believe in a child or young person's potential, no matter what they have experienced or what they have done

Our operational mission

Through our work and through speaking out, we seek to break the cycle of deprivation. We challenge injustice and empower children to overcome the obstacles in their lives that hold them back. We tailor our work to local circumstances, in partnership with children and young people, families, communities and local organisations.

We work with children and young people:

• whose families need support
• who cannot live with their birth families
• who are disabled
• who experience severe difficulties in their lives

We have been working with the UK's most vulnerable and neglected children since 1869. We were originally called the National Children's Home, or NCH, until September 2008 when we changed our name to one that better describes what we do and what we value - Action for Children. 

Our services

We believe all children and young people have unique potential and that they should have the support and opportunities they need to reach it. Action for Children helps nearly 200,000 children, young people and their families through nearly 479 projects across the UK. We also promote social justice by lobbying and campaigning for change.

Today, Action for Children is the leading UK provider of family and community centres, children's services in rural areas, services for disabled children and their families, and services for young people leaving care. We provide services in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and we also support work in Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Central America.