LFC Foundation and the NSPCC have teamed up to help improve the lives of children across the city region – forming the first official partnership of its kind between the children’s charity and a Premier League club foundation.
The LFC Foundation already works to support young people across Liverpool and beyond, as do NSPCC practitioners based at the charity’s Hargreaves Centre. Childline volunteers are also based at the charity’s Great Homer Street site and speak to thousands of children across the country each month.
The Foundation and the NSPCC will work together to support even more children and families across the city region, signposting them towards resources and help they might need, educating adults, parents and supporters with advice on how to spot signs that something might not be right for young people in their area.
Liverpool FC’s mascot Mighty Red welcomed the NSPCC’s Pantosaurus mascot to Anfield to launch the new partnership, which will look to provide essential support to children and young people who have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
Matt Parish, LFC Foundation Chief Executive, said:
“We are two organisations born in the same city and by working together as one team we can help achieve a shared ambition to help and support our city’s children and young people. The people of Liverpool look after each other, and by working collectively we can make our city and our society a safer place.
“We’re delighted to be the first Premier League Club Foundation to have an official partnership with the NSPCC and the opportunity to build upon the work we have done together to date. We’re already making a difference, but we want to do more and by working together we can help to tackle one of the biggest issues facing children and families in our city region.”
As well as promoting the NSPCC and its local activity and campaigns throughout the year, staff from Liverpool FC and the Foundation will be able to access the charity’s safeguarding advice and additional expertise throughout the partnership, ensuring the club can continue to provide a first-class experience for children who work with the club from the Academy, to the Foundation, to young supporters who visit matches and their families.
John Pout, Director of Safeguarding at Liverpool FC, said:
“Everyone has a role to play in looking after children, even more so with the effects of the pandemic. With the combined commitment and expertise of the LFC Foundation and the NSPCC, we know we can achieve more together.”
Both the foundation and the children’s charity were born in the city of Liverpool – with the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children founded in the city in 1883, and eventually becoming the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children under Queen Victoria’s patronage in 1889.
Tess O’Callaghan, NSPCC Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager, said:
“The pandemic has had a huge impact on young people, with the NSPCC’s Childline service carrying out more than 61,000 counselling sessions from children across the country on mental health alone since the start of the first lockdown.
“This is the NSPCC’s first partnership with a Premier League team, and we’re really pleased to be working with such a high-profile club on a ground-breaking initiative to help support and protect children and young people right across the Liverpool City Region.
“While the long-term effects of the pandemic on children are still unknown, we’re anticipating a huge demand on services to help young people and families across the region and the country. By working together with incredible partners like the LFC Foundation, we can ensure that every child receives the support they need when they need it most. It’s vital that we all play our part in protecting children, and every fan, supporter and resident in Liverpool can help us do that.”
Looking ahead, the partnership will take a prominent role in publicising Mental Health Awareness Week (May 10 to 16), throughout the city, with videos, activities and workshops to help get families active and outside together, and look at early intervention and preventative measures.
To find out how you can support the NSPCC and LFC Foundation’s campaign to tackle child abuse, go to www.liverpoolfc.com/foundation and join the fight for every childhood.
