WILD

Who we are

WILD was created by a small group of young parents, all the way back in 1992. They knew how important it is to feel like you belong, and to have friends who have shared similar experiences. Some of those young parents have now turned fifty, and their thirty-year friendships are more meaningful to them than any service could ever be

From such small beginnings, WILD grew to be who we are today; the largest young parent charity in the UK, having helped over 15,000 parents and children.

​We are proud to have been overall national winners of the Kings Fund GSK Impact Award, and to have won The Guardian Charity Award, the Queen’s Award, Youth Music Innovation Award, and Lloyds Highly Commended award. Our work has been profiled on Simon Reeve’s BBC travel show, shown in national galleries, and heard on national radio.

WILD is used as an example of good practice by Public Health England, the National Lottery, Cornwall Council, and Research in Practice, and our enduring partnerships bridge health, social care, education, community and creative industries.

​We are proud that young parents and their children are still the driving force behind our work, and that our WILD graduates are our best ambassadors and promoters. We have weathered several governments and external crises, and we believe we thrive because we put our vision and our families at the centre of everything we do.

Our culture and values

Explore: We work together with families, leaders and practitioners to design and deliver services and practice models that work

Practice: We deliver our whole-family flagship service across Cornwall that models the best work with young parent families

Share: We offer support and resources to help others focus on the best work with young parent families

Change: We influence national policy and services, to change the narrative for young parent families

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is at the heart of everything we do at WILD. We want everyone to feel like they belong. 

We value each person as an individual. We will treat everyone with dignity and respect. And we want to recognise all parts of a person's identity. 

We will build a culture that’s accessible and inclusive first. And we will listen, learn and keep improving. 

We can only achieve a fair start for young parent families by including everyone.