FAQ

The Children’s Alliance began as an initiative by Water Babies Ltd. to broaden politicians’ awareness of the health and wellbeing issues currently facing children in the UK and a push to create a ministerial position dedicated to the health and wellbeing of children in the UK. Stemming from that has grown an acknowledgement that we are all responsible for creating a better, brighter future for new generations. The old adage that “it takes a village to raise a child” promotes the idea that we can all help to make a difference in children’s lives. So that’s what we’re doing at the Children’s Alliance. We are finding ways to provide better starts, and therefore brighter futures, for children throughout the UK through both political and community channels.

Right now our goal is twofold: to create a cabinet position that focuses on children and young people, and to develop community services for children who might not otherwise have an opportunity to learn valuable life skills such as swimming. We do this through fundraising and strategic partnerships that allow us to create opportunities for babies and children in their first five years.

At Children’s Alliance, we believe that every child deserves a better start in life, but we aren’t doing this just for the children—we are looking at creating a brighter future for generations ahead. We know that the first five years of a child’s life are so influential in determining how their brain is formed and how they see themselves as humans. We want to improve the lives of future artists, builders, bankers, parents, and politicians, thereby providing children with the confidence they need to create a better world for others and a brighter future for everyone.

Most people are familiar with charities, but the CIC may be a less-known entity for many. Both are social enterprises, but there are many differences involving the legal and governance structures of the organisation, rules around how they derive their income, and laws about how it can be spent. Most importantly, while a charity cannot make a profit from its activities, a CIC is expected to. In our case, that profit will be primarily reinvested in the work we do. As a CIC, we also have more flexibility around how we spend our money so that we can maximise our outreach and have the biggest impact possible on children’s lives.

We have three directors whose role is to be actively involved in managing any risk within the organisation as well as setting the strategic direction for us. They provide guidance on the best ways for us to invest our resources and work diligently to recruit more partners to our cause.

The Children’s Alliance was founded by Water Babies’ former CEO, Steve Franks. Steve was a Board member of the ukactive Kids Council, with responsibility for Early Years Physical Activity and began by working with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood to produce detailed reports on the need for a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People. Steve then worked tirelessly to bring on board other organisations and individuals willing to help. Although we lost Steve in 2020 to COVID-19, Water Babies and the other members of the Children’s Alliance are proud to continue his legacy by expanding our purpose to include the community aspect of our work and we know Steve would be pleased with what we’re accomplishing.