News / Education
Date set for Kids Company closure in Bristol
The final Kids Company service in Bristol will shut its doors in September following a “managed closure” from the city council.
The drop-in venue for vulnerable young people at The Island, Silver Street, will be shut on September 4.
It follows the closure of four other service venues and drop-ins after the charity collapsed amid a funding row.
Kids Company, previously in London, Liverpool and Bristol, announced in August it would have to cease operating amid allegations of financial mismanagement and sexual offences at some of its properties.
Since Kids Company collapsed, Bristol City Council has commissioned the Creative Youth Network to manage the closure of The Island drop-in and find alternative support for its 213 users.
Former Kids Company staff have been kept on to assess the needs of young people who had used the facility.
The council said it had brought together 25 organisations, including Voscur, the umbrella organisation for Bristol’s voluntary sector, to help find new support for service users.
“The reaction has been calm, positive and pragmatic, with many offers of longer-term help and support for young people.” Wendy Stephenson, chief executive of Voscur said.
Aside from The Island drop-in, Kids Company also ran educational services for 40 pupils who could not attend mainstream schools for a variety of reasons in Brentry, Hartcliffe and Lawrence Weston.
The council contracts to run theses services were already transferred to a new provider before Kids Company collapsed.
Kids Company also ran the Urban Academy out of The Island which helped people aged 15-23 develop additional skills for employment.
Le Coeur, a respite sanctuary in Redcliffe for some of the most vulnerable and traumatised children and young people, also closed its doors with immediate effect. As the centre did not run a statutory service, there will be no replacement