Interview: Mark Russell, The Children’s Society chief executive

In 1881, Edward Rudolf, a Sunday School teacher, founded the charity that would eventually become The Children’s Society as a way for the Church of England to offer orphans and poor families better living conditions in south London. As it prepares to mark its 140th anniversary, current chief executive Mark Russell believes the charity’s role to support the most disadvantaged children and families has never been more relevant. Russell, who replaced Matthew Reed in August 2019, arrived from Church Army UK and Ireland, where he had spent nearly 13 years at the helm. After graduating with a law degree from Queens University, Belfast, he worked as a youth worker across the religious divide in his native Northern Ireland and was licensed as a lay preacher at the age of 21. Russell is launching a new vision for the charity at a time when its income – nearly £40m in 2018/19 – is being hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

What impact has the pandemic had on the charity’s finances?

A quarter of our income is from our retail shops which were closed for months. They bring in £1m a month and had just started to reopen before having to shut again for the latest lockdown. Other revenues, such as the London Marathon have also been affected, like they have for many charities.

I’ve no long-term idea on what income looks like going forward but we’ve got a good balance sheet and supportive trustees that have helped us navigate the challenges so far. We’ve also made use of government funding and the furlough scheme and staff have been doing their best to limit expenditure wherever possible, such as not filling vacant posts. There’s no doubt though that the year ahead will be really challenging for charities and fundraising.

How has the charity adapted how it works during the pandemic?

We had to do five years’ worth of digital transition in five days, by the end of which we’d pivoted into a virtual service providing support for hundreds of young people. We got computer equipment to vulnerable young people who didn’t have any within days.

It has been a huge undertaking and some staff were concerned about not having a line of sight on young people, but it has also enabled us to reach those that wouldn’t have otherwise come into our drop-in services. Working this way has also seen any suggestions of being a London-centric organisation go out the window – there are some benefits that are here to stay.

It has also opened up access to policymakers. Initially we were on weekly calls with government departments to ensure they were hearing what it was like for young people and practitioners on the front line.

What toll is it having on the young people you support?

We have seen a significant rise in the number of young people reporting being unhappy and I’m really worried about the impact of the pandemic on their mental health and wellbeing.

Our Good Childhood surveys have highlighted how the wellbeing of young people in the UK is the worst of any country in Europe, and it is our goal to try and turn that around – I want us to throw the kitchen sink at it. As an organisation we’re determined to ensure children’s lives get better and that’s why we’ve set that goal.

The Department for Education has not got all the computer kit out to young people that they said they would do and I’m concerned that this may hit the attainment gap. It may take years to see the impact of this.

You’ve developed a new organisation vision, what are the key points?

We started the work before the pandemic holding our “Big Conversation” in the first three months of 2020.

Young people told us their lives had been getting harder. We want our focus for the decade to be about ensuring young people’s lives get easier. Every penny we spend must have the biggest impact for young people; help to build their resilience, feel safer and enable them to thrive and not just survive.

Young people’s views will be front and centre of our campaign and efforts to work for change. To start with, we have five young trustees on our board.

Inside the heart of every young person is hope, but it’s taken a battering during the pandemic. I want us to help build a society for all children over the next 10 years – at the moment, too many are being left behind.

What action do you want to see from policymakers to turn your vision into reality?

We need the government to deliver a long-term strategic plan for children’s services and reverse the funding cuts seen over the past decade.

The pressure on local government finance is massive. So much money is being spent by councils on later interventions that funding on early intervention is massively limited. We need investment for the long-term. That means investing in preventative services like children’s centres and youth clubs.

I have a lot of sympathy for the government at the moment, but the amount we are spending on late interventions has gone up and on early interventions it has gone down. We need an extra £2bn to fill the hole left by previous funding cuts – that investment will save in the long run and we have to keep arguing and campaigning for that. We need leadership from the government – the Care Review could be an important “reset” moment.

What do you hope the Care Review can achieve?

It needs to hear the voices of young people really clearly, end use of unregulated accommodation for children and tackle the huge number of out-of-area placements.

I’m hoping the review will have a philosophical look at what young people in care should experience so that they have the best possible start in life.

I have huge sympathies with local authorities because at the moment, they are being asked to do the impossible – we need the government to provide the resources and leadership.

The charity provides a lot of support for children of migrant parents. Are you concerned about the impact Brexit could have on this group?

I am concerned that children in care and care leavers whose parents were not born in the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland could become undocumented if they do not register with the EU Settlement Scheme by the deadline of 30 June. They could end up falling through the cracks and councils need to be more active in engaging this group.

I am also concerned about the cost of food rising as a result of Brexit and the impact that will have on the most disadvantaged families. We have seen throughout the pandemic that the pressure on family budgets is acute, and with schools now closed again I’m worried that we will see more children living in cold homes and going hungry.

Are you worried about rising numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children coming to the UK in 2020?

The press coverage over this issue has really disappointed and angered me. They are extremely vulnerable young people escaping the most awful situations and coming to this country for a better life. They are more at risk from a whole host of issues. I’d hope that the country could show more compassion and care around this issue.

We have campaigned for all unaccompanied children in the UK to have a legal guardian but so far only Scotland and Northern Ireland have introduced this.

You are at the forefront of work to tackle child exploitation. Has the pandemic made that harder?

Criminals have adapted how they target young people. We have heard of young people manipulated by criminals to dress as key workers or delivery drivers to sell drugs and avoid detection.

They are taking advantage of the fact that many families are under huge financial strain, feeling alone and isolated. Referrals to children’s social care went down during the first national lockdown and some parents were afraid to report concerns because of the risk of [children receiving] fines for breaking lockdown rules.

We worked with the makers of Hollyoaks to develop a storyline on criminal exploitation to help make more young people aware of the signs of this. We also trained every custody officer in the Metropolitan Police to recognise the signs of a child being a victim of criminal exploitation.

We are working with the government on a legal definition of child criminal exploitation in law as currently each police force defines it differently. We want a national approach.

Does the 140th anniversary of the founding of The Children’s Society offer a chance to reflect?

I recently visited the church in Vauxhall where Edward Rudolf started the charity. He was driven to action because of the poverty he witnessed and I’d like to think we still have some of that anger driving us today. Last year was one of the most demanding in our history, and this year also looks set to be really hard for charities and the people they support. However, it’s vital that we do everything in our power to step up to the challenge and continue to bring hope to young people who are struggling and at risk during these difficult times.

Mark Russell CV

• August 2019 – present: Chief executive, The Children’s Society
• August 2006 – July 2019: Chief executive, Church Army UK and Ireland
• 2000-2006: Youth worker, Church of England
• 1997-2000: Youth worker – Methodist Church in Ireland
• 1995-1997: Project executive – Irwins Ltd, Northern Ireland
• 1992-1995 Lawstudent – Queens University Belfast
  
  Other:
• Nov 2015 – Sept 2019: Trustee, Church of England
• Sept 2007 – July 2019: Chair, The Marylebone Project