Our work
AWOC is the UK’s only national charity dedicated to supporting and advocating for those without children or other “next generation” support. It is led by a board of trustees who are all “ageing without children”. It is currently funded by individual donations and has no paid staff.
We want to see a world where the growing numbers of people ageing without children or close family support are supported to age well and have a positive later life.
Our mission is to campaign locally and nationally on behalf of the growing number of people ageing without children in the UK:
- to raise awareness of the impact that growing older without the support of family can have and develop strategies and solutions to address this
- to challenge the narratives and assumptions often made around ageing and childlessness
- to provide information, social connection and peer support to people ageing without children
- to influence and work in partnership with other organisations addressing the needs of older people and the challenges of later life
- to work with academic researchers, public/patient involvement groups and policymakers to develop a stronger knowledge base which can be a positive influence for policy change and wider awareness
We believe that tailoring systems, services and influencing other organisations to be “AWOC Confident” so that they work better for people who are ageing without children improves the potential support available for all older people whether or not they have family.
Our main focus is on setting up a network of local groups where people ageing without children can come together both in-person and online, socialise and share experiences, access information and advice on relevant issues and engage other local statutory and community organisations with our work.
Although ageing without children is a global issue, AWOC is a UK-based organisation and we are not able to provide information or support outside the UK.
All the organisations listed or referenced on our site are also UK-based.