Camila Batmanghelidjh

Camila Batmanghelidjh (, born 1963) is a psychotherapist and founder and director of Kids Company, a charity based in south London, England devoted to 'lone' children. These are children and young people who experience significant psychosocial difficulties because their parent is unable to function as a caring adult. The lack of a functioning adult has a negative impact on their ability to access education, health, housing and meaningful employment.

Born in Tehran to prosperous Iranian and Belgian parents, Batmanghelidjh was sent to public school in Dorset, England. Her father was Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj. After the Iranian Revolution her sister committed suicide, but she was kept on by her school despite a lack of funds.

Severely dyslexic, Batmanghelidjh completed her studies using a tape recorder instead of pen and paper. She completed her degree in theatre and dramatic arts at Warwick University gaining First Class Honours. Then she did a Master's degree on the philosophy of counselling and psychotherapy, two years of child observation at the Tavistock Clinic in north London and a course in art therapy at Goldsmiths College, in south-east London. For four years, she trained in psychotherapy. She also worked with children as a nanny, and discovered a talent for the work.

Batmanghelidjh used her mortgage repayments to set up The Place to Be, offering psychotherapy and counselling to children in schools. It is now a national project and serves in excess of 20,000 children a year.

Camila is now Director of Kids Company - registered charity 1068298. Kids Company supports children with severe behavioural, emotional and social difficulties resulting from significant levels of trauma and neglect. The children often suffer from abuse, mental health problems, substance misuse and homelessness. Kids Company aims to restore their trust and provide an environment in which they can begin the healing process, using a carefully designed support system that includes psychotherapy, counselling, education, arts, sports, hot meals and various other practical interventions.

Kids Company currently delivers services to 11,925 clients through - 33 inner-city schools in London, - a drop-in centre at street-level in Camberwell and - a new, post-fourteen educational institute, the Urban Academy in Southwark.

For ten years Kids Company has survived due to the support of charitable trusts and businesses. Camila has taken on and exceeded the challenge of funding the organisation. It has been a ‘hand to mouth’ existence for the organisation and Camila has kept united a staff team who accept that the future is always uncertain. On two occasions she has re-mortgaged her flat to see Kids Company through its lack of funding.

Batmanghelidjh won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005. She has written Shattered Lives: Children Who Live with Courage and Dignity, ISBN 1-84310-434-2 and other papers. She was also nominated in The Good List 2006, of exceptional people.

She appeared at the 2006 Conservative Party Conference.

Camila Batmanghelidjh was awarded the Woman of the year award for 2006 in recognition of her work with Kids Company.

She has curated two major art exhibitions, one called "Shrinking Childhoods" at the Tate Modern in 2005 and "Demons and Angels: Does it have to be this way?" at Shoreditch Town Hall.

She appeared on Desert Island Discs on Sunday 22nd October, 2006.