Family Action (previously Family Welfare Association and the Charity Organisation Society) is a charity in England founded in 1869. It provides support for families, including financial and mental health issues relating to them.
The stated aim of the charity is to "provid[e] practical, emotional and financial support to those who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage and social isolation across England".
History
Family Action was founded in 1869 as the Society for Organising Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicity, commonly referred to as the Charity Organisation Society (COS). Its original aim was to combine the efforts of various overlapping charities in London, which was felt to lead to discrimination, poverty and waste. The society aimed to properly investigate the circumstances behind any charity claimants, and ensuring that relief should be sufficient to keep them above the poverty line.
The organisation was renamed the Family Welfare Association in 1946 to reflect its family-oriented role.