Extending our partnership with The Children’s Society

Kennedys is thrilled to announce the continuation of its partnership with The Children’s Society for another year. In the last three years, the relationship has thrived, with fundraising initiatives directly advancing the charity's vision to provide local services through their hubs programme. Kennedys is excited to keep playing a vital role in their implementation. 

Since 2023, colleagues across the UK have helped raise more than £140,000, with over 250 volunteers taking part in fundraising activities that supported local practitioners, improved buildings and spaces and helped create welcoming and safe environments for young people. Kennedys’ pro bono teams have also played a practical role by helping the charity explore new partnership opportunities and by supporting the development of the Act on Exploitation CPD-certified elearning course, designed to help an organisation’s employees recognise signs of child exploitation.

Partnership highlights

Volunteers from Kennedys joined forces with local hub coordinators at two Bedfordshire hub sites, committing a team day to painting, decorating and building storage spaces, all to ensure the hubs were ready for a summer holiday opening. These new venues have been created to enable young people to visit, in-person. a local support service, talk with trusted adults, and receive early support without requiring a referral. As the project broadens its reach across the UK, the centres continue to play an important role in engaging a growing number of young people.

Volunteers across the firm organised challenges, quiz nights, donation drives and wellbeing-box packing sessions. Local practitioners visited Kennedys offices to talk about their work and share insights into how this partnership supports them in delivering vital local services. Pro bono teams contributed by helping the charity explore new partnership opportunities, giving staff more time to focus on frontline support.

“I’m always so amazed by how our people get involved in different activities across the world with such enthusiasm, and of course here in the UK through our charity partnership with The Children’s Society. Our fundraising efforts over the three-year partnership have shown what we can achieve collectively and the positive difference we can make to young people’s lives.” Joanne Kelly, Partner.

Reflections from the Good Childhood Report

Every year, The Children’s Society publishes the Good Childhood Report, which offers insight into the pressures young people face and the support they say they value most.

This year’s findings highlight that young people benefit from:

• Places where they can relax and feel comfortable.
• Access to trusted adults who listen.
• Early guidance when life feels hard.
• Support available in their local communities, near to where they live.

‘Many young people continue to experience pressure at school, concerns about money and worries about safety. Even so, the report shows that when support is easy to access and offered in a settled environment, young people feel more hopeful and more able to manage day-to-day life’ Tom Leach, Corporate Partnerships Manager, The Children’s Society.

The hubs Kennedys has supported through fundraising and team days, reflect these needs closely, giving clear evidence that this partnership is strengthening the type of support young people say they want most.

In conversation with Tom Leach

Can you give a quick overview of The Children’s Society and the work you do with young people?

We have supported young people for more than 140 years. Last year we worked with more than 70,000 young people facing different pressures. Some struggle at school. Some are at risk of harm or exploitation. Some care for family members. Some go missing from home. Our goal is simple. We give them a safe place to talk and someone who will listen. Our hubs help young people feel less alone in the world, and more able to cope with day- to-day life challenges. 

What does your role involve?

I look after our key corporate partnerships programme. I organise employee fundraising activities, share updates and details of upcoming campaigns, arrange volunteering initiatives with our local outreach teams and stay in contact with partners every day. I help shape activities that feel meaningful for both sides. I also visit offices, speak at events and make sure partners understand how their support and fundraising efforts directly help young people. 

What does our partnership help you deliver for young people?

Your support funded skilled practitioners, that opened the door for hundreds of young people each year. Your teams helped us brighten our spaces, send gifts at Christmas and deliver small touches and essential items that help young people feel welcome. Your pro bono support helped us run due diligence checks for new opportunities and protect our programmes. Your continued and consistent support gave us space and capacity to focus on frontline work. 

How did our support help your hubs?

Your teams packed wellbeing boxes for Newham (London), Cambridge and Birmingham. You donated a cool speaker, cushions and throws to Newham. These seem like small things, but they help young people feel relaxed and experience a space that feels ‘homely’ when they walk in. The hubs give young people time to talk, explore what they are feeling and learn coping tools that work for them. 

What change did you see in young people?

Newham saw around 900 young people in its first year. Many arrived anxious or unsure. One young person wasn’t able to speak at the sessions for a few weeks – but after we gained his trust – he started to trust us. He gained more confidence and was able to work through his issues and set in motion better routines and is now flourishing.

How did our regular bi-weekly check-ins with the Kennedys team help the partnership?

They helped us stay connected. We were able to share updates and plan ahead. Your team demonstrated a great enthusiasm for the work and recognised its significance, which encouraged more volunteers to participate in the partnership across various offices. 

What did our fundraising and challenges add?

Your marathons, team challenges, quiz nights and donation drives made a clear difference. They helped fund our services and improve our spaces. When our local practitioners visited your Manchester and Leeds teams, we felt the energy and care straightaway. 

What difference did our volunteering make?

Your colleagues gave time, effort and encouragement. They packed wellbeing boxes, joined sessions and asked thoughtful questions. It helped our teams feel supported and made the work worth it on those sometimes very busy, and stressful days. 

What was a stand-out moment for you?

Seeing around 120 lawyers volunteer across two Bedfordshire sites, all pitching in to transform the spaces. No hesitation. Just people working together. It showed how committed your firm is to young people. 

Why do long-term partnerships work well?

They give us the space to build trust and plan ahead. When we stay in contact often, we find new ideas and better ways to support young people. 

What advice would you give to other charities?

Find shared interests. Keep talking. Give things a go. When both sides stay open and engaged, amazing partnerships emerge. 

Looking ahead

This partnership sits within Thrive Together, Kennedys’ global volunteering programme. Continuing this work for another year allows us to support community projects that offer targeted guidance, early support and safe spaces for young people across the UK.

We look forward to building on this work and seeing how the partnership continues to grow.