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'Suicide attempts' since Kids Company closure | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Leaders of collapsed charity Kids Company have said there were four suicide attempts, stabbings and a murder in the wake of its closure. | |
Chairman of trustees Alan Yentob made the claim as he and founder Camila Batmanghelidjh faced questions from MPs about how the charity was run. | |
Mr Yentob said the murder of a boy who had been using the charity's services took place five days after it shut. | |
He said it was related to "the absence of a place for these children to go". | |
Follow live text and video updates of the hearing | Follow live text and video updates of the hearing |
The leaders of the charity, which had supported vulnerable young people before its closure in August, again rejected claims of financial mismanagement. | |
Mr Yentob, who is also the BBC's creative director, told the Public Administration Select Committee no figure over £5,000 could be spent without the decision being taken to the board and there were quarterly audits of how money was spent. | |
Ms Batmanghelidjh also insisted the charity was "intensely inspected". | Ms Batmanghelidjh also insisted the charity was "intensely inspected". |
Kids Company collapsed just days after receiving a £3m grant from the Cabinet Office and in the midst of a police investigation. | |
The closure came after ministers said they wanted to recover the £3m grant - with officials saying they believed conditions attached to the use of the money had not been met. | The closure came after ministers said they wanted to recover the £3m grant - with officials saying they believed conditions attached to the use of the money had not been met. |
The hearing before MPs comes after documents seen by BBC Newsnight and BuzzFeed News showed the Pilgrim Trust, a charity which disburses about £2m a year, wrote to the Charity Commission in 2002 to raise concerns about Kids Company. | |
In the letter, Pilgrim Trust director Georgina Naylor noted an "absence of financial acumen from the director of Kids Company". | In the letter, Pilgrim Trust director Georgina Naylor noted an "absence of financial acumen from the director of Kids Company". |
'Against the odds' | 'Against the odds' |
In 2006, another charity, New Philanthropy Capital, raised concerns in a private report sent only to Kids Company trustees. | In 2006, another charity, New Philanthropy Capital, raised concerns in a private report sent only to Kids Company trustees. |
It noted issues including "weak finances" and a "lack of any strategic planning". | It noted issues including "weak finances" and a "lack of any strategic planning". |
The letter added: "Although the organisation has survived for 10 years, it has many problems and its continued existence is a triumph against the odds, and a testament to its wealthy and influential donors." | The letter added: "Although the organisation has survived for 10 years, it has many problems and its continued existence is a triumph against the odds, and a testament to its wealthy and influential donors." |
The National Audit Office is investigating grants given to Kids Company, and the charity is also the subject of a statutory investigation by the Charity Commission and an inquiry by the Constitutional Affairs Committee. | The National Audit Office is investigating grants given to Kids Company, and the charity is also the subject of a statutory investigation by the Charity Commission and an inquiry by the Constitutional Affairs Committee. |
Kids Company, which has said "very few charities" have faced the level of scrutiny it has faced in recent years, cites a long list of "thorough and positive reports relating to Kids Company's beneficiaries, activities and value for money". | Kids Company, which has said "very few charities" have faced the level of scrutiny it has faced in recent years, cites a long list of "thorough and positive reports relating to Kids Company's beneficiaries, activities and value for money". |