Barnardo's Campaigns-Why are they so controversial?

Barnardos' is a well respected children's charity that has, over the past few years, been involved in a number of campaigns to improve the lives of children across the country, supporting over 100,000 families and giving help to the children who need it most.  Barnardo's are fearless in their approach and despite controversy over their campaigns they have succeeded in changing the law and Government policy with regards to children's rights, including the scheme to improve wheelchair access for disabled children, protecting young asylum seekers who are unable to find HIV treatment and providing Scotland's poorest children with free school meals, as well as persuading the Government to try and help end child poverty by spending £1 billion to improve the situation.

One campaign that Barnardo's is strongly backing is The Robin Hood Tax; a small 0.05% tax from international banker's transactions that would generate enough money to stop public services being cut, help the fight against child poverty here and all over the world and help us fight climate change. They believe that this tax would help vulnerable children living in poverty by providing them with the essential services they need. £4 bn is needed to halve child poverty; this is a huge sun to pay in the current recession but this tax would provide more than enough money to make it possible.

Recently Barnardo's received a huge amount of public support over their campaign to help the children of asylum seekers by providing thier families with more support and higher funding. They successfully campaigned to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas that they were in desperate need of more money and so far they have received increased support rates; however there is still more work to be done.

Barnardos' campaigns use facts, research evidence and their knowledge gained from working with children to produce reports and summaries for decision makers (politicians and the government) and the opinion formers (the public and media). They then lobby the government. brief and meet with them and respond to consultations. They are clearly passionate about the work they do and the children they are helping.
This image of a newborn baby attracted a storm of controversy, after another leading children's charity claimed it was 'insulting to the very people they purport to help'. The Advertsising Standards Authority also received 92 letters of complaint; however Barnardo's stuck by its campaign to raise awareness os how children born into poverty will grow up to be living in squalor, addicted to alcohol or drugs and be involved in crime. Despite the outcry against their images last year Barnardo's received an advertsising effectiveness award for these powerful images on child prostitution.