KidsOut

KidsOut

Founded	1999
Type	Charitable organization
Registration no.	1075789 (England and Wales) SC039477 (Scotland)
Focus	Children
Location	Leighton Buzzard, England, UK
Area served	United Kingdom
Website	www.kidsout.org.uk

KidsOut is a multi-faceted national charity based in Leighton Buzzard which provides a range of services to bring about positive change to thousands of underprivileged and vulnerable children situated all around the UK. They pride themselves as "a charity based on actions rather than words”. Every year they help approximately 80,000 disadvantaged children, including over 20,000 who, with their mothers, have had to flee from their homes to escape domestic abuse and now live in one of approximately 650 refuges situated across the UK. These children will have witnessed or experienced, mental, physical or sexual abuse and often arrive in refuge traumatised and with no more than the clothes they are wearing. KidsOut provides each child with a box of new toys and books to help make the children feel welcome.

In addition to toy boxes, the charity takes the children, plus thousands of other disadvantaged children on fun days out, including trips to the seaside, theme parks, zoos, and the cinema. Up to December 2023, KidsOut have taken nearly 1.1 million children out on fun days. The children may have come from difficult backgrounds, have been excluded from school, have a life-limiting disability or have been socially or rurally isolated.

The charity is currently looking to develop arts, music, and sports programmes as part of its wider care services.

The CEO of KidsOut is Sara Williams. The charity is governed by a board of Trustees and is also supported by 18 Ambassadors and 2 Patrons, John Parrott and John Peters.

History

KidsOut was established following an initiative by Lady Grantchester, a member of the Moore family, owners of Littlewoods, and a resident of Kingston. In 1990, she suggested to the Kingston Rotary Club that they organize a day out for disadvantaged children. Working with Peter Jarvis, and fellow Rotarians Graham Child and John Saxton, the concept of KidsOut was developed. The first event, organized in partnership with the Kingston Littlewoods store, involved an outing for 200 children to Thorpe Park. The success of this event prompted Lady Grantchester to offer a one-off grant to any Rotary Club willing to participate in similar outings on the second Wednesday of June.

This initiative quickly gained traction, with 800 Rotary Clubs across the UK joining the effort. The National Rotary KidsOut Day was subsequently established, becoming the largest organized outing for disadvantaged children in the UK. Each year, tens of thousands of children benefit from this event.

Services

KidsOut provides a range of programs aimed at supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable children in the UK. The charity seeks to create positive experiences and memories for children who might otherwise lack access to such opportunities. Annually, KidsOut benefits up to 200,000 children through services that include day trips, toy distributions, and educational resources.

Toy Boxes

In collaboration with Women’s Aid, KidsOut supports over 20,000 children annually who have fled domestic violence and taken refuge with their mothers. Many of these children arrive at refuges with little more than the clothes they are wearing, having experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. To assist with their transition into a new home, KidsOut provides age- and gender-appropriate Toy Boxes containing brand-new toys and books. In 2023, the charity distributed over 11,000 Toy Boxes, making it the only organization in the UK to provide toys and books to every child in a Women’s Aid refuge.

Fun Days

The Fun Days initiative, launched in 2012, offers enjoyable outings for disadvantaged and vulnerable children across the UK. Activities include visits to theatres, theme parks, and the seaside, providing opportunities for children to create positive and happy memories. Since its establishment, the program has reached over one million children, including those facing economic hardship, living with disabilities, or experiencing life-limiting conditions.

A significant portion of the program’s beneficiaries are children who have fled domestic abuse and now live in refuges. These children, who often face emotional and financial challenges, benefit from the program’s focus on restoring joy and normalcy to their lives. KidsOut remains the only national children’s charity in the UK specifically addressing the needs of this group.

The National Rotary Day Out

Every June, the Rotary Organisation throughout Great Britain and Ireland together with KidsOut takes between 20,000 and 25,000 disadvantaged children on a fun day out where they may visit the seaside, theme parks, adventure playgrounds, and zoos.

The Giving Tree Shop

The charity's famous Giving Tree - Fun & Happiness Shop was established in 2008 and gives individuals, companies, and schools, the opportunity to buy a toy or fun experience for a vulnerable child or children throughout the year. At Christmas time, the charity ensures that every child in a Women's Aid refuge receives toys or gifts to open on Christmas morning.

Multi-Sensory Rooms and Units for Children with Complex Needs

KidsOut provides multi-sensory units for organisations and schools looking after children with complex needs. This type of learning has been proven to improve speech and language development, communication skills, memory and comprehension, and can have a positive impact on children’s behaviour and development.

Food Vouchers

The charity also provides food vouchers for mothers with children living in refuges. The vouchers help the mothers create an environment of normality for their children and give them the opportunity to buy treats which they would otherwise not be able to afford. Mothers report saving the vouchers for treats on children’s birthdays and for Christmas.

Word Stories - free access to digital books from around the world

In 2017, KidsOut established World Stories, a free-to-access, growing collection of 175 traditional and original stories from around the world representing the 32 most commonly spoken languages by children in the UK. Currently one in seven UK children speak a language other than English as their first language, often struggling to learn in an unfamiliar language and environment. World Stories is an online resource that helps children improve their literacy and keep up in the classroom. With more than 100 stories in written and audio format, World Stories opens the world to children.

2023 Summary

In 2023 KidsOut provided; 115,946 Toys and Christmas Presents to Disadvantaged Children (excludes toy boxes) 57,774 Fun Days 20,174 National KidsOut Rotary Days Out (308 Clubs, 620 Schools, 100 attractions) 15,159 World Stories sign-ups (13,392 Teachers 1,767 Non-Teachers 76,528 in total) 11,203 Toy Boxes for children in Refuge (112,030 toys in total) 5,593 Food Vouchers for Summer, Christmas, Easter holidays when no free meal access 1,000 School uniforms 191 Laptops to help children with their schoolwork at their refuge 175 World Story Books (now 175 in total) 85 Tablet computers