Barnardo's

Barnardo's is a UK charity focused on helping children and young people feel safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful. It states that it runs more than 650 specialist services across the UK and campaigns to change the way the system works for the better. Its services include targeted youth support, mental health support, housing and homelessness support, leaving care support, employability and skills programmes, and short breaks for disabled children. It also provides advice and guidance for young people, parents and carers, and support with fostering and adoption, and it traces its origins to the work of Thomas John Barnardo.

Barnardo's traces its origins to Thomas John Barnardo, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1845. As a young man he moved to London to train as a doctor. After a cholera epidemic swept through London's East End, leaving 3,000 people dead and many children orphaned, Barnardo set up a 'ragged school' in 1867 where children could get a free basic education. One of the boys at the school, Jim Jarvis, opened Barnardo's eyes to the hardship faced by children around the East End. Barnardo gave up his medical training to focus on helping children living in poverty. In 1870, he opened his first home for boys, where boys could live and learn carpentry, metalwork, and shoemaking, and get help getting into apprenticeships. When an 11-year-old boy was found dead of malnutrition and exposure two days after being told the home was full, Barnardo vowed never to turn another child away again. Barnardo's work was radical at the time because the Victorians saw poverty as shameful; Barnardo refused to discriminate between the 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor and accepted all children, regardless of race, disability, or circumstance. Barnardo's states that it has been changing childhoods and changing lives for over 150 years.

A UK children's charity running specialist services and campaigning to change the system for the better.

1. 1Barnardo's | Children's charity | Barnardo'sbarnardos.org.uk
2. 2Our history | Barnardo'sbarnardos.org.uk
3. 3Who we are | Barnardo'sbarnardos.org.uk
4. 4Our Services - Need a helping hand? | Barnardo'sbarnardos.org.uk
5. 5Barnardo’s teams up with UK rappers for World Music Day to highlight ‘Boloh’ the COVID-19 mental health helpline - Voice Onlinevoice-online.co.uk
6. 6Celebrations as Barnardo’s officially opens its biggest ‘superstore’ charity shop in the UK in Coventrycoventryobserver.co.uk