This is what a programme actually looks like day to day at Christ Promise — the routines, checks and small decisions that make up a childhood here, not slogans about what we hope to achieve.
Christ Promise Children's Home has run these six programmes since 2014: schooling and homework support, health and wellbeing, life skills for independence, recreation, child safeguarding, and Christian teaching. Each one is funded and staffed separately, so a supporter can choose exactly what they want to put their time or giving towards, whether that's a school year, a term of outings, or an hour a week as a volunteer.
Every child at Christ Promise attends the local primary or secondary school, and comes home each afternoon to a settled homework routine with a member of staff on hand for maths, English and reading practice. Alongside the school day, we run library time twice a week and art sessions on Saturdays, and we encourage children to try an instrument, football or drama depending on where their interest lies.
We speak with class teachers regularly and keep a written record of each child's progress, so a difficult term is caught early rather than at the end of the school year.
Homework support, three evenings a weekThree balanced meals and two snacks are prepared daily, with menus adjusted for children with allergies or specific dietary needs. Every child is registered with a GP and a dentist, and vaccination and health records are kept up to date and reviewed each year.
House parents are trained to notice when a child seems anxious, withdrawn or is struggling to sleep or eat, and we bring in a qualified counsellor when a child needs more support than we can give day to day.
Registered GP and dentist for every childFrom around the age of ten, children take turns helping to plan a meal, write the shopping list and cook alongside a member of staff. Older children manage a small weekly allowance, do their own laundry, and are shown how to open and manage a bank account well before they are due to leave the Home.
None of this is left until the last minute. The aim is that by the time a young person moves on, running a household is already familiar rather than something new to learn under pressure.
Weekly allowance and budgeting practice from age 14We keep space in the week for the things that make childhood feel normal: a Saturday football match, board games after dinner, a birthday properly celebrated with cake and friends round the table. Once a term we organise a day out — the beach, a museum, or simply a park with a picnic — largely funded through the kindness of supporters.
These afternoons are not an afterthought. They are part of how children build friendships and confidence outside the classroom.
One organised outing every school termEvery member of staff and volunteer is background-checked before they work with a child, and completes safeguarding training on induction and again every year. Our written safeguarding policy covers everything from visitor access to how a concern is recorded and escalated, and every child is told, in language they understand, who they can speak to if something feels wrong.
This is not paperwork kept in a drawer. It shapes daily decisions, from who is allowed to collect a child from school to who they may spend time with unsupervised.
All staff background-checked and safeguarding trainedMornings begin with a short prayer, and children join a local church on Sundays. Bible stories are shared at an age-appropriate level, but we place just as much weight on the daily practice of kindness, honesty and forgiveness — apologising properly, keeping a promise, looking after a younger child without being asked.
Faith at the Home is meant to be lived through the week, not confined to an hour on a Sunday.
Morning prayer and weekly Sunday worshipCommon Questions
Every programme — education, health, life skills, recreation, safeguarding and Christian teaching — is funded through a mix of individual sponsorship, church partnerships and one-off donations. Supporters can choose to give towards a specific programme, such as a child's school fees or a term's outings, rather than a general fund. See our transparency and accountability page for how funds are recorded and reported.
Yes. Sponsorship can be directed towards a specific area of a child's care, such as their schooling, health needs or a yearly wardrobe, or towards the Home more generally. Get in touch through our contact page and we'll talk through what's needed at the moment.
We do, in areas such as homework support, life skills mentoring for older children, and help running Saturday activities. All volunteers go through the same background checks and safeguarding training as staff before they spend time with a child. Visit our volunteering section to find out more or apply.
Children come to us at different ages and stay until they are ready to live independently. Programmes such as life skills and budgeting are introduced gradually from around age ten and become more hands-on in the teenage years, so that each young person leaves with practical experience already behind them.
Every concern is recorded, assessed and escalated following our written safeguarding policy, and every child is told who they can speak to directly. If you have a concern of your own, you can raise it through our contact page or read the full policy on our child safeguarding page.
Christ Promise Children's Home is based at 20 Crescent Road, London E18 1HB, and has operated as a Christ-centred children's home since 2014. For registration details, governance and how the Home is run, see our About Us page.
Whether it's a school year, a term's outings or an hour a week of your time, there is a practical way to take part in one of these programmes.