Kid's Company

I've only really heard of the Kid's Company since it has been in the news recently

Perhaps I'm being too suspicious or cynical, but somehow... somehow... it comes over with an air of iffyness or mild sleaziness compared to other similar charities like Barnardos or NSPCC, so that reports of financial irregularities and poor organisation & control, and ultimately going bust don't surprise me.

Re: Kid's Company

Until this happened I have only heard good about the work they do with kids who are damaged in some way. The grass roots workers sound fantastic giving love and support to many children sadly looks like they have been let down by their management.

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I had some contact with them in my work before I retired. I have to say I was not impressed at all. I also came across Carmina Batmanghelidj at one or two conferences and was even less impressed. She gave me the same kind of creepy shivers that Jimmy Saville did. Brilliant self-publicist though!

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I didn't realise it was possible to set up a charity the claim millions from the government in order to run it.

I naively thought most charities ran on public donations and the goodwill of volunteers.

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Just been on this morning's Sky News (about 08-00 10/08/15) that Camilla had a chauffeur at £40,000 pa. I don't suppose the car was a thirdhand hatchback either.

There is a report in the Mail Online that the charity paid the £28,000 pa fees for the chauffeur's daughter to go to a private school.

As one of the TV commentators said; no doubt it will all come out in the next few weeks

Re: Kid's Company

It's part of a huge government con (all governments not just our present idiots) and, like many of today's bureaucratic nightmares, dates back to a combination of Thatcher's anti-state rhetoric and, later, Blair's obsession with Public - Private Partnership. For reasons of obfuscation and control, successive governments propounded the idea that anything run by the state or local government was, by definition, inefficient and wasteful and that by bringing in private interests (whether profit seeking commercial companies or charities) improvements in both services and efficiency would be secured. Hence in the area of children and young people, Barnardos, NSPCC, Kids Company etc etc all had an absolute field day in milking the government of vast amounts of funding. Meanwhile the very efficient and well functioning local authority Youth Services and Youth Social Services were decimated by funding cuts. The effects of this approach can be seen in the increase of crime, drug use and feral behaviour amongst many of our young people. It was a local authority funded youth project - "Risky Business" - which first blew the whistle on the Rotherham sex abuse scandal where hundreds of white girls were being groomed, raped and abused by organised groups of Pakistani men. Their reward for this excellent work? - the local authority closed them down as they were scared of accusations of racism.
Batmanjelidh and her opportunistic ilk have made the most of this shortsighted and damaging policy. What I find really worrying is how easily our top politicians have been conned by this obvious opportunist.

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That's shocking Mike I have done a fair bit of voluntary work also standing in the rain and cold to help raise funds for a nation organisation with autonomous branches. It was almost entirely self funding keeping it independent and free from intervention (not a children's charity).

I understand the local Chidren's Hospice relies largely on self-funding too including from charitable foundations, voluntary 'fundraisers' by locals and events like 'Children in need'.

I really am astounded by the sums 'Kid's Company' allegedly received although I applaud the concept of a children's 'refuge'.

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Must admit hadn't heard a lot about this Charity either until they came under the spotlight as others have said.
I must admit also that the things I have been hearing about the management of this charity are very disturbing.

I see for a start that Mr Yentop, who was chairman of the charity was racing around the BBC studios trying to pursuade those who were ready to disclose even further shock goings-on within the charity, not to do so, and even heard bellowing at a radio presenter who was doing a piece on the charity.

Ms,Batmanjelidh, who for some unknown reason, seemed to be able to mesmerise our useless Call me Dave and the Tory government into handing over a final figure of £3m of taxpayers money, even after it was disclosed that the charity was in dire straits and in danger of closing altogether, he still went against the advice of much wiser heads than him and paid it out, only to have it close down for good 24 hours later, with the loss of that £3m and much much more.

This is not a tirade against the now out of a job hard working feet on the ground staff, No, this is the work of the pampered few, Yentob, Batmanjelidh and their ilk, too bluddy lazy to grab a bus or a train, it had to be chauffeured driven cars for her and the rest of the board.
(I've always maintained that the use of public money to spend how they see fit inevitably leads to abuse.
ALWAYS !!)

Ms Batmanjelihd then apparently went onto channel 4 and blamed Call me Dave and his government for all the charities woes. Accusations spilled forth from her mouth about knowing about government child sex abuse and the reason they wanted rid of her is because the government is worried about her spilling the beans. Doh ! She was blaming every other person but herself for all the woes that have befallen the Charity.

She really defies belief !! If financial mismanagement is found to have occurred, I truly believe that she should be arrested, along with Yentob and the rest of the board and questioned thoroughly about where every penny of this taxpayers money, which was meant for the children, has gone.

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Hi

An update on the current situation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34572934

I find it frightening that such a situation could exist without being addressed.

Perhaps call me Dave and his two Ministers who approved the £3m grant should be put up in front of the Public Accounts Committee.

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Defies belief - So easy, will there be any criminal charges brought against any of the key players? I would hope so...