Why support us?
We are a charity providing class-leading 24/7 residential care, treatment, and therapeutic education for 5-18-year-old children, 100% of whom have experienced severe abuse, neglect and early life trauma. We have five residential children’s homes and a special school.
We’ve transformed the lives of many young people whose outcomes on arrival were bleak and who are today enjoying lives that would not have been possible without our intervention.
The funds we secure from generous benefactors and trusts are essential in enabling us to build more beds and develop our services to meet the increasing demand from children needing our specialist help. We are enormously grateful to those who support our work.
“I moved to Kent 10 years ago and was invited to attend an evening arranged by Childhood First . The stark analogy given to me that day was this: “if these children were medically ill they would be in intensive care”; this has never left me .
When I heard and saw how the staff meet the needs and aims of transforming these young children’s lives, I knew I wanted to become involved in the newly-formed Kent Friends’ committee for Greenfields and I was delighted to become its chair. The more I learn about the children and the success of developing a safe and nurtured space for the young, my involvement deepens.
I am very pleased now to also be a trustee and working with all four thriving communities.“
Sarah Scarratt
Childhood First Trustee and Chair of the Kent Friends’ Committee
Healing Hurt Minds
Our skilled and dedicated staff team work holistically and therapeutically with the children so that for the first time in their lives they are able to appreciate what a warm, loving and ordinary ‘family’ life and education feels like so that they can begin to heal the trauma of their past experiences.
Everything that we do is founded on the simple truth that “the damage caused by relationships can most effectively be healed by relationships”
Learn more about our Integrated Systemic Therapy methodology here
We are immensely proud of the progress made by all of the children and young people who spend time with us. They are clear that they are getting something at a Childhood First home that they have not experienced before, and that this is life-changing. Read about some of our success stories here:
For more information please contact the fundraising team on 020 7928 7388 or email us fundraising@childhoodfirst.org.uk.