Pseudoscience about children’s behaviour being biologically determined, combined with a flamboyant founder who saw the press as a high priority, drowned out the voices of service users at the charity
The departure of Camila Batmanghelidjh as chief executive of Kids Company raises much bigger issues about the role of charities, accountability and user involvement in childcare and beyond. Discussion about Batmanghelidjh has been high profile and polarised, but so far we have heard little about the many contradictions her work highlights, or the children and young people involved, both of which warrant closer attention.
The first of these contradictions is her reputation as a radical outsider and her success in securing friendships and funding from some of the most establishment institutions and power holders in society. While the figures cited vary, there is no question that Batmanghelidjh has raised millions of pounds for Kids Company. Anyone involved in good causes knows that the merits of your cause are little guarantee of ensuring its financial security, especially in these difficult days of budget cuts and austerity. It’s not only Batmanghelidjh’s success in fundraising, but where she has raised money from that is interesting. She has raised millions from banks, city and financial institutions and a cost-cutting government. It is David Cameron who waved through a £4.3m grant to the charity, overruling officials at the Department for Education who raised concerns.
Continue reading...from Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1SUKaiV
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