The NSPCC, 'National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children' originated in 1881, and is a UK based charity. On a trip to New York a businessman named Thomas Agnew visited the 'New York society for the prevention of cruelty to children'.
NSPCC National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Agnew was so impressed by this that when he returned home he set up 'the Liverpool society for the prevention of cruelty to children', the Liverpool SPCC. Several towns and cities followed his example, the most notable being the London SPCC, set up in 1884.
Reverend Benjamin Waugh ran the London SPCC, and in 1889 this eventually this became known as the NSPCC. However, it wasn't until 1953 that the NSPCC and the Liverpool SPCC merged together.
After 5 years of campaigning by the NSPCC, in 1889 parliament passes the first law to protect children from abuse and neglect. Just 6 years later in 1895 they were granted a royal charter and Queen Victoria became their Royal patron.
The NSPCC works in England, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands, and it is thought that since it started, the NSPCC has helped over 10 million children. As well as working with children and their families the NSPCC also lobbies the government on issues relating to child welfare. They are also the only UK charity granted statutory powers allowing them to apply for care and supervision orders for children at risk, these powers were given under the 1989 Children's Act.
The mission of the NSPCC is "to end cruelty to children" and their values, based on the United Nations convention on the rights of the child, are:
Throughout the UK the NSPCC runs 177 local services, from general family support, to more specific projects such as helping families dealing with alcohol problems. The NSPCC also runs two phone lines and an online service. The 'Child Protection Line' is a phone line to support anyone concerned about a child, and 'Childline' is a phone service offering support to children themselves. These two services merged in 2006. The NSPCC also runs an online service similar to Childline called there4me.com
The NSPCC doesn't just work with children abused from violence, they also work with children that have been bullied, suffered psychological abuse, abandonment, malnutrition and children that are being exploited.
The NSPCC is mainly funded with voluntary donations, in fact 85% of their annual income is from voluntary donations. During the tax year 2008-2009 their income was £157,581,00 with £119.12 million of this being from donations. It's worth pointing out that although the NSPCC works closely with the government on many levels they do not receive any funding from the government. Their expenditure for the same year was £161,800,00 with 79% of this being spent on activities aimed at ending cruelty, and £27 million being spent on generating funds.
The NSPCC runs several campaigns to not only raise money but to raise awareness in the public. Their most famous campaign would probably be the "cruelty to children must stop, FULL STOP" this campaign can be seen in almost all types of media from the TV, to newspapers and on the internet, and is helping to raise peoples awareness of the situation.
To raise funds the NSPCC accepts donations, from one off donations to monthly donations, donations in legacies and donations in memoriam. They also offer places in races and marathons for people to run in order to raise money for the NSPCC. As well as this the NSPCC also runs events, such as concerts, dinners, balls and shows. Several of their programs also accept donations such as new toys and new to good quality clothing. www.nspcc.org.uk