GSK Impact Awards 2026
Bristol-based charity supporting children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse wins influential UK health award
[This press release was written by The King’s Fund. The GSK IMPACT Awards, run in partnership with The King’s Fund, are designed to recognise the outstanding work of community-based health care charities.]
The Green House, a charity based in Bristol and serving Bristol, Bath, North and East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, has secured one of this year’s GSK IMPACT Awards, a prestigious honour for health and care charities in the UK, which is awarded by global biopharma company GSK in partnership with The King’s Fund. The award recognises the charity’s work to end the silence, stigma and shame of child sexual abuse (CSA) and enable survivors and their families to thrive.
An estimated 500,000 children experience sexual abuse before the age of 16*. Research shows that 15% of girls and 5% of boys are affected, with around half of reported offences occurring within the family. The impacts of child sexual abuse are profound and long-lasting, linked to depression, anxiety and eating disorders, and with 73% of survivors living with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet stigma and silence mean many cases go unreported until adulthood, and statutory services often lack the confidence and skills to respond effectively.
The judges were particularly struck by the charity’s deep commitment to amplifying survivor voices and honouring lived experience, alongside its innovative ‘whole-family’ approach. By offering survivors of child sexual abuse timely access to specialist therapy, and providing families with independent support, the charity ensures compassionate, holistic care for everyone affected.
Following a rigorous selection and assessment process, The Green House was chosen from a record number of award entries as one of the 10 winners of the 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards. Now in its 29th year, the awards are delivered in partnership with leading health and care charity The King’s Fund. Since its inception in 1997, more than 570 charities have received a GSK IMPACT Award. The awards are widely seen as a hallmark of excellence in the charity health sector and are designed to recognise outstanding small and medium-sized charities working to improve people’s health and wellbeing in the UK. Award-winners will receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding, a film and photography package, as well as a place on a highly coveted leadership development programme provided by The King’s Fund.
"The judges were particularly struck by the charity’s deep commitment to amplifying survivor voices and honouring lived experience, alongside its innovative ‘whole-family’ approach"
The judges praised The Green House for its outstanding partnership working, influence on national policy, and strong collaboration with local services, including schools, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), social care, police and health teams. Together, these partnerships help ensure professionals across the community have the knowledge, tools and confidence to support children and families affected by sexual abuse.
Through its Bluestar project, The Green House has played a pivotal role in challenging outdated national policy by highlighting barriers to pre-trial therapy for children and young people. By addressing the long-held misconception that therapy could compromise criminal cases, the project helped prompt the Crown Prosecution Service to update its guidance in 2023. Bluestar now delivers training on pre-trial therapy and has developed standards endorsed by the CPS and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
The charity has also worked closely with mental health services, carrying out a national scoping exercise of 235 CAMHS to identify barriers to access. This work has led to a two-year Trauma-Pathfinder Referral pilot with five local CAMHS sites, helping to integrate specialist child sexual abuse support and strengthen pathways of care within local communities.
Lisa Weaks, Senior Associate at The King’s Fund, said: ‘The Green House is an exemplar of the innovation, care and drive that we see in the very best health charities across the UK. By ensuring that families and children can get the right support when they most need it, working with professionals to make services more responsive to children’s needs, and tackling wider issues such as removing barriers to children accessing crucial therapy before their cases go through legal proceedings, they are making a profound difference to health and wellbeing in their community and beyond. We are proud to recognise their outstanding work through the 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards.’
Commenting on the award, Susie Hay, Interim Chief Executive of The Green House, said: ‘We at The Green House are extremely proud and deeply privileged to receive a GSK IMPACT Award. Having our passion, innovation and relentless dedication to supporting children, their families, and wider communities recognised in this way is an honour. Every day, our team walks alongside young people and their families at some of the most challenging moments of their lives. To have their commitment, courage and unwavering resilience in such a demanding sector acknowledged means so much. This award shines a light on the impact of their work and strengthens our resolve to continue breaking the silence surrounding childhood sexual abuse. Thank you for supporting us in this vital mission.’
"The Green House is an exemplar of the innovation, care and drive that we see in the very best health charities across the UK...We are proud to recognise their outstanding work through the 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards."
Charities are operating in a more difficult financial environment while demand for their services continues to grow: The Green House research team estimates a 23% increase in demand for its services in this year alone. Additionally, as the government moves to implement its 10‑year Health Plan reforms – including the shift toward more localised ‘neighbourhood health’ services, prevention‑focused delivery models and broader NHS system transformation – charities remain essential to providing community‑based services.
Against this backdrop, the judges were impressed by The Green House’s unwavering commitment to supporting children and young people across the West of England who have experienced sexual abuse. Established in 1975 as the Avon Sexual Abuse Centre, The Green House began as a volunteer-led organisation supporting women. Today, it offers a wide range of specialist services, including one-to-one therapy using creative arts, such as drama, play, music, and painting, to help address the trauma of CSA. The charity also runs an innovative 12-week nature-based creative therapy (NBCT) group programme for young people aged 14–18 and provides support for parents and carers through one-to-one sessions, regular drop-ins, family days, and an online self-guided course, Taste of Recovery.
The Green House is the only free, local specialist provider of support for children and young people aged 4-18 who have experienced sexual abuse. In 2024/2025, the charity supported 362 children and young people, with 167 receiving a total of 2,229 therapy sessions. Their analysis shows that 84% of those children and young people who received therapy have reduced levels of psychological distress and 71% felt unhappy less frequently.
*Child Sexual Abuse Centre, 2025