BY JACK WELCH

IT IS not very often national charities make the front pages and regular features on news bulletins, but this year’s collapse of Kids Company (KC) has helped to break that trend.

The charity, whose support was targeted at the most vulnerable and frequently challenging, young people in urban parts of England, came to an abrupt end in August when it closed down in the midst of many questions about its financial record.

While there has already been much speculation about the truth behind the £3 million government grant it received prior to its unexpected closure, what is being lost in the story is the young people who have to find alternative services.

The charity in question claims it helped to support 36,000 young people throughout its lifetime and to help rehabilitate those who came from the most difficult of circumstances.

With its management practices now under a microscope, it is left to other existing youth charities to try and pick up the pieces and to match, if at all possible, the assistance which would have been provided at KC.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) suggests there are 160,000 charities, including local ones, across the UK, but they too are increasingly restricted in resources they can provide with limited funding available.

Following a debate I attended to discuss KC’s collapse and the future for the sector, I think charities need to be better at presenting the work they do and how they benefit others - their help for all sections of society is still invaluable.