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Children on the Edge

Charity rating & review

81/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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81 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Children on the Edge a good charity?

Children on the Edge scores 81/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£1.9m total income, 89% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Portsmouth · UK-wide · PO19 7LT Reg 1101441 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Children on the Edge do?

Children on the Edge is a registered charity (no. 1101441) working in international aid across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 89% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining (≈6% a year). CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

Summarised from public filings — Children on the Edge hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: CHILDREN ON THE EDGE scores 81 out of 100 (4 stars). 89% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Children on the Edge?

Children on the Edge has a Clarity Score of 81 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1101441. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £1.9m, with 89% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 2 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

81/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

89%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.9m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

2 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£8.2 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 12% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does CHILDREN ON THE EDGE compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers CHILDREN ON THE EDGE scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)56thpercentile

Scores higher than 56% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 81/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

International aid charities68thpercentile

Scores higher than 68% of 618 charities in this cause · 81/100 vs 75 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Children on the Edge's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Children on the Edge's Beacon report?

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for CHILDREN ON THE EDGE
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three).

100% 5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

50/100

Financial Health metrics for CHILDREN ON THE EDGE
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

67% 2 months · 10/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

100% 2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

95/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for CHILDREN ON THE EDGE
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

100% 89% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income).

90% 12p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

70/100

Community Support metrics for CHILDREN ON THE EDGE
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

70% 19 volunteers / 13 staff · 7/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Children on the Edge's Clarity Score?

81/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
95/100
Financial Efficiency
70/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 10/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

95/100

Program expense ratio89% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency12p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

70/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio19 volunteers / 13 staff · 7/10 pts

How much does Children on the Edge raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

CHILDREN ON THE EDGE revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.9m
Total expenditure £1.9m
Charitable activities £1.7m 87%
Fundraising £239k 13%
Governance & admin £24k 1%
87%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £1.9m spent

  • Charitable activities87%
  • Fundraising13%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does Children on the Edge have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    5 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    13 employees · 19 volunteers (1:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1101441

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Stuart Gallimore Chair · since 2013
  • PAUL DAVID SUTER since 2016
  • Helen Pattinson since 2017
  • Sarah Wickens since 2019
  • William Alexander Jones since 2019
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

How have Children on the Edge's finances changed over five years?

£0k £700k £1400k £2100k £2800k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £2,354k Spending 2021: £1,896k Cause spend 2021: £1,697k Income 2022: £1,829k Spending 2022: £1,898k Cause spend 2022: £1,639k Income 2023: £2,740k Spending 2023: £2,792k Cause spend 2023: £2,495k Income 2024: £1,946k Spending 2024: £2,384k Cause spend 2024: £2,121k Income 2025: £1,865k Spending 2025: £1,908k Cause spend 2025: £1,669k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

What are the key facts about Children on the Edge?

Overall score
81/100 (4★)
Income
£1.9m
Cause spend
89% of expenditure
Reg number
1101441
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
2 months
Trustees
5
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where CHILDREN ON THE EDGE sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar international aid charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Children on the Edge's rating?

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Children on the Edge's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Children on the Edge a good charity? +

Children on the Edge scores 81 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 89% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is Children on the Edge a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Children on the Edge is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1101441). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1101441. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Children on the Edge's charity number? +

Children on the Edge's charity number is 1101441. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Children on the Edge's charity rating? +

Children on the Edge scores 81 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Children on the Edge have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Children on the Edge. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Children on the Edge? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 89% of Children on the Edge's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Children on the Edge's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 11% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 12% of total expenditure at Children on the Edge. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Children on the Edge's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Children on the Edge receive? +

Children on the Edge reported £1.9m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining.

Are Children on the Edge's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is Children on the Edge based? +

Children on the Edge is listed at Portsmouth · UK-wide · PO19 7LT and operates UK-wide, focused on international aid.

How does CharityCompare score Children on the Edge? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Children on the Edge's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? +

This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Children on the Edge's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.