The Children's Society was founded in the late nineteenth century by Edward Rudolf, a Sunday School teacher and civil servant in South London.

Rudolf led a deputation to Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury to establish Church of England children's homes as an alternative to the large workhouses and orphanages common at that time.

Its success, together with a growing awareness of the scale of child poverty in England and Wales, led to the society's development.

[6][7] During the 1990s The Children's Society began focusing on social justice, lobbying to change legislation and welfare provision, and encouraging young people to speak and act for themselves.

Its policy and campaigning work is informed by its direct practice, and research regarding children's well-being, child poverty and adolescent neglect.

[citation needed] In 2017, The Children’s Society launched a new strategy aimed at disrupting the cycles of disadvantage that prevent young people from thriving by 2030.

The Children's Society's strategy explores the complex challenges in young people's lives by focusing on three areas: risk, resilience and resources.

[9] The rationale behind the inquiry was that, despite the 2003 Every Child Matters programme, unacceptable levels of disadvantage, poverty and social exclusion remained.

[11] It found that 'excessive individualism' is causing a range of problems for children today, including family break-up, teenage unkindness, unprincipled advertising, too much competition in education and acceptance of income inequality.

The charity went on to develop the Good Childhood Index[12] in 2010 to provide a measure of subjective well-being in relation to 10 aspects of life for children over the age of eight.

For example, its work with young people on the streets culminated in a study in 1999,[18] which called for a nationwide network of safe houses to be set up, and for statutory money to pay for them.

[21] The charity was implicated in abuse arising from its role in facilitating the migration of 3700 children to Australia, Canada and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).