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NCH
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This page is about the UK children's charity NCH. NCH can also stand for the National Coalition for the Homeless
NCH (formerly National Children's Home and at one time National Children's Home and Orphanage) is, according to them, one of the United Kingdom's largest children's charities providing services for children young people and their familes,[1] from before birth, until the age of 18 (and older for young people leaving care, or disabled young people). Its major areas of work are services for disabled children, family and community services, work with young people leaving care and rural children's services. Today, NCH runs more than 500 projects, reaching over 160,000 vulnerable children, young people and their families.[1]
Originally supported entirely by voluntary contributions and mainly providing residential homes for children who had been orphaned or taken into care, NCH now acts mainly as a provider of statutory services purchased by local authorities and other government bodies, including many Children's Centres, Children's Funds, disability and residential services, and projects working with families. NCH also runs several special schools, and provides adoption and fostering services.
NCH has its main offices on Highbury Park in the London borough of Highbury and Islington.[2]
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NCH was established in 1869 by the Rev'd Thomas Bowman Stephenson, a Methodist minister, and a group of fellow-Methodists. The organisation is historically closely linked with the Methodist Church of Great Britain. Throughout its history Methodist churches in the UK have taken a close interest in the work of NCH and have organised large-scale fund-raising in support of its work, both within the church and directed to the wider public. The second Sunday in July, the anniversary of Stephenson's founding of the first NCH home, is kept as "NCH Sunday" by Methodist churches, an occasion both for fund-raising and for study of the work of NCH; public street collections are often held at this time. Currently 50% of the trustees of NCH are Methodists.[3]
NCH's vision is that all children and young people have unique potential and that they should have the support and opportunities they need to reach it [1]. The organization claims that, "The children, young people and families we work with face difficulties such as poverty, disability and abuse."[1]
NCH's turnover in 2005-06 was approximately £210 million. Of this, approximately £18 million was raised by voluntary subscription, the rest being payments from government bodies for acting as a provider of services purchased by those bodies[4].
NCH's Mascot is a large green dragon called Cedric.[5] He appears at NCH events, and also makes visits to schools.