Anne Marie Carrie

The incarceration of nine men for crimes including child rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation is welcome news.

The arms of the law are reaching further than ever before and we can only be thankful that these vile perpetrators are no longer free to harm more innocents.

Yet so many...

There are more children of prisoners in the UK than children in care. Does that surprise you? It's a statistic most people are completely unaware of, and that's reflective of the fact that these children might as well be invisible.

Time and time again our services have told me that...

Last week the controversial Welfare Reform Bill - that aims to make the benefits and tax credits system fairer and simpler - successfully cleared parliament and is well on its way to becoming an act of law. Decision-makers in government now face the task of drafting guidance for how the...

Helping young people to gain the skills, experience and qualifications needed for employment has always been a priority for Barnardo's.

As a charity, we train and support more than 3,000 of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people every year. We have a track record of removing some of...

The establishment of the Family Strategic Partnership is an important opportunity for the voluntary and community sector; we have been asked by the government to speak on behalf of the third sector and the families we support.

Central government has commissioned our critical input in making and shaping policy in...

At Barnardo's, supporting children in care is at the core of our daily work reaching out to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. This week, the scale of the task in hand hit the headlines when the number of applications to take children was revealed by Cafcass to have reached in...

In the UK today, one in 10 households - the poorest families - cannot get access to a bank account. When they run out of cash, which they do frequently in these tough economic times, the most vulnerable are lured into an unaffordable debt trap.

These parents have little choice....

Children who appear in court are, almost by definition, vulnerable. They all need our help and support and at Barnardo's we strive to provide it throughout the court process.

We work with young people who have been abused and need to go to court. We also work with young people...

Now is a tough time to be growing up. Economic turmoil, government cuts and social unrest make this an era of uncertainty for all - but none more so than for young people. That makes it more relevant than ever for people to join us to fight for the future...

The devastating news that youth unemployment now tops the one million mark makes clear that some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in the UK are paying with their livelihoods for an economic crisis they did not cause.

With two in every five of...

Barnardo's vision is that the lives of all children should be free from poverty, abuse and discrimination.

But frankly, I am dismayed at the level of prejudice against children in this country. Half the UK's adult population thinks children today are behaving like animals and one in...

Few would dispute that discipline is an important element in raising children to become well-adjusted adults. However, after the riots of this summer, the debate rages about what sort of discipline children need, and whose responsibility it is to administer it.

The common view is that poor parenting at...

Fuel poverty is increasingly a worrying reality for millions of families in the UK - and if forecasters are right this winter is going to be one of the toughest in many years. For the vulnerable families we work with the financial crisis is fast becoming a financial catastrophe.

The...

Government spending cuts mean making tough decisions and when it comes to what help for vulnerable children should stay and what should go, this is an unenviable task.

But Barnardo's has found that these cuts are putting a stranglehold on grassroots services that help prevent vulnerable children and...

These are strange and unusual times. Daily news reports inform us that the markets are in turmoil over debt concerns. We hear that unemployment is on the rise - particularly amongst young people. And all this whilst the government embarks on major reforms on the way that education, welfare and...

Adoption is one of the most profound interventions we can make in a child's life.

There is overwhelming evidence to show how positive an experience it can be, yet at a time when overall numbers of children being looked after are rising - nine per cent during the last four...

At Barnardo's, the work we do to help child victims of sexual exploitation takes time, commitment and expertise. There is no quick fix or instant solution.

With increased pressure on public finances, tough choices have to be made about how, why and where money is invested. I strongly believe that...

Barnardo's believes in children - all children, even those who offend and cause distress to their families and communities. Even these children, particularly these children, deserve another chance.

At Barnardo's we know that if you want to be serious about reducing offending and re-offending by children, if you want...

Like everyone in this country, I was horrified by last week's civil disturbances. As the chief executive of the UK's largest children's charity, I am clear that there are no excuses for the criminality that has taken place. All of those who have committed serious and violent offences - including...