How Organisations Can Support Children in Need in 2025
Children in Need is one of the UK’s most recognisable charity campaigns, bringing together workplaces, schools, and communities to raise awareness and vital funds for vulnerable children. Beyond the yearly celebrations, the campaign serves as an important reminder of the everyday responsibility professionals have to keep children safe, supported, and included.
For organisations involved in training and development, Children in Need offers a timely opportunity to emphasise why skills, knowledge, and awareness are essential when working with — or around — children and families. With over 49,500 children currently on a Child Protection plan in 2025 due to abuse, the need for collective action has never been more urgent. Thousands of children rely on us to recognise, respond, and make a difference — and together, we all have a part to play.
Why Children in Need Is So Important
Each year, Children in Need supports projects that help children facing:
- poverty or family hardship
- disability and additional needs
- mental health challenges
- neglect, abuse, or exploitation
- social isolation or community barriers
Many of these issues overlap with themes that appear in training programmes across Health and Social Care, Education, Early Years, community services, and wider public-facing roles. Understanding these challenges through training helps professionals recognise risks, break down barriers, and respond to children’s needs with confidence.
Training and Children’s Wellbeing
1. Training strengthens Safeguarding Awareness
Safeguarding is not limited to those who work directly with children. Many roles—administration, hospitality, community support, public services—may come into contact with children or families who need help. Learn more about key legislation.
Training helps teams understand:
- the different types of harm children may experience
- early indicators of neglect, abuse, or exploitation
- what to do if they have a concern
- how to follow reporting procedures responsibly
By improving awareness across sectors, communities become safer and more responsive.
2. Training promotes understanding of diverse and Complex Needs
Many children supported by Children in Need have additional needs, disabilities, or experiences that affect how they communicate, behave, or cope.
Awareness-based training—such as learning disability awareness, Oliver McGowan, autism understanding, mental health awareness, or trauma-informed approaches—helps professionals recognise:
- how different needs may present
- how environment and communication can affect behaviour
- how to respond in a calm, supportive, and inclusive way
3. Training helps create community-wide readiness
When professionals receive the correct training, it strengthens the safety net around children.
- concerns are recognised earlier
- children receive help sooner
- families feel better supported by the systems around them
This aligns closely with the goals of Children in Need—to ensure vulnerable children receive timely help and opportunities to thrive.
A Moment to Reflect and Strengthen Awareness
Children in Need is a celebration of hope, resilience, and community action. It also serves as an annual reminder of the responsibility shared across all sectors to protect and support children’s wellbeing.
Training—whether formal or informal—plays a significant part in that responsibility. By increasing awareness, improving understanding, and equipping professionals with essential skills, organisations contribute to a safer society for children and young people.
For guidance on children’s services training, please contact our experts for support.