Loss-making charity may have to slash services

Cabrini Children’s Society could be forced to close down all its services except adoption and fostering in an effort to break even.

The charity, which has been operating with a severe deficit for more than a decade, has asked donors in the Dioceses of Arundel and Brighton, Portsmouth and the Archdiocese of Southwark, where it works, to suspend fund-raising as it awaits the results of a consultation that could severely limit its services. The decision was communicated to parishes at Masses last weekend. As well as fostering and adoption services, Cabrini runs two nurseries in London, childcare, counselling and services for people with learning disabilities.

In a letter seen by The Tablet sent to priests, schools and other donors, the charity said that “significant developments” might impact its future activities and that a possible outcome of its current restructure could be the closure of its community projects. “[We] cannot in good faith continue our efforts to raise funds from the parishes that have supported us in the past. We have therefore decided that ­several of our annual fund-raising appeals – such as the parish annual appeal, the crib appeal and the Good Shepherd appeal – will not go ahead this year,” it said.

Last month, The Tablet reported that Cabrini had come under pressure to balance its books after its annual report revealed it spent £693,000 more than it made last year.

A spokeswoman for Cabrini said that the move was temporary and would last until the consultation into the charity’s future activities had concluded. If Cabrini were indefinitely to confine its work to adoption and fostering,  it could not be supported by Catholic institutions since the charity is prepared to place children with same-sex couples. This is contrary to church teaching. Until now, church contributions have been ring-fenced to avoid supporting Cabrini’s adoption services.

At least 20 per cent of Cabrini’s income comes from fund-raising and its most recent annual report said that the annual Good Shepherd liturgy, parish, Lent and crib ­appeals were “significant events”. It said it was “dependent” on voluntary income to continue its services.