Life Without Barriers

What Life Without Barriers does

Life Without Barriers is an Australian not-for-profit social services organisation founded in 1994 and headquartered in Newcastle, operating across all eight Australian states and territories with more than 8,000 staff. Its core offering is an integrated platform of community-based care and support services spanning the full lifecycle: foster care and out-of-home care for children and young people, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) services including Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), support coordination, behaviour support, and employment pathways; in-home aged care for older Australians through My Aged Care, Support at Home, and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme; mental health and psychosocial recovery services; the federally funded Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program (FMSSP); short-term asylum seeker support; housing and homelessness services; and alcohol and other drug counselling.

The underlying operating model is a labour-intensive, geographically distributed service delivery platform rather than a technology product. Care is delivered by employed and contracted support workers, clinicians, and foster carers, with digital touchpoints comprising a website, online enquiry forms, 1800-number contact centres, and a National Complaints Unit. Service infrastructure includes SIL vacancies searchable online and a growing set of specialist programs such as Care 2 Thrive for children with complex needs. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform or AI capability.

The business model is funded almost entirely through government programs: NDIS provider agreements for disability services, state government child protection contracts for foster care, federal/state aged care subsidies, and a Department of Social Services grant for the Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program. Professional foster carers receive annual allowances of up to A$100,000 plus support. Pricing is set by government program rates and individual needs assessments rather than discretionary commercial pricing. The organisation is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Greg Ridder AM and led by CEO Claire Robbs, with no equity shareholders, parent company, or disclosed revenue figure.

Name

Life Without Barriers

Legal name

Life Without Barriers

Website

https://lwb.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Life Without Barriers is an Australian not-for-profit social services organisation founded in 1994, operating across all eight states and territories with 8,000+ staff delivering foster care, NDIS disability services, aged care, mental health, and specialist programs funded primarily through government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Companion Care & Social Support (non-clinical) (HLADAGAB), Specialized Assisted Living for Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities (Adult) (HLADABAJ)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Aged care services
• Out-of-home care
• Mental health support
• Community social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government-funded social services: Life Without Barriers generates revenue primarily through government funding arrangements including NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) provider agreements, state government child protection contracts, aged care subsidies through My Aged Care/Support at Home/CHSP programs, and Department of Social Services funding for forced marriage support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Life Without Barriers is a not-for-profit social services organisation that delivers person-centred care and support across Australia. Its core offering consists of foster care and out-of-home care, disability services under the NDIS (including Supported Independent Living, Specialist Disability Accommodation, Support Coordination, Behaviour Support and Employment Pathways), aged care services delivered at home, mental health support, child and family services, asylum seeker assistance, housing and homelessness support, alcohol and other drug counselling, and specialist programs such as the Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program and the Care 2 Thrive therapeutic foster model. Services are funded largely through federal and state government contracts and delivered by over 8,000 staff across every Australian state and territory.

Product overview

Life Without Barriers is a not-for-profit social services organization providing a comprehensive suite of care and support services across Australia. The organization operates as a platform of integrated service offerings rather than a single product, encompassing foster care and kinship services, disability services (including Supported Independent Living, Specialist Disability Accommodation, support coordination, behaviour support, and employment pathways), aged care (in-home support and community care), mental health services, child and youth services, housing support, and specialised programs such as the Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program. These services are delivered through partnerships with government schemes including the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) and My Aged Care, with operations across all Australian states and territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Care Provides safe environments for children in out-of-home care through emergency, respite, short-term, long-term, kinship, and guardianship care programs, delivered in partnership with state child protection authorities.
• Disability Services Comprehensive NDIS-registered disability support services for people with physical, intellectual, or psychosocial disabilities, encompassing Supported Independent Living, Specialist Disability Accommodation, Support Coordination, Behaviour Support, Individualised Living Options, daily living skills, social participation, and employment pathways.
• Aged Care Services In-home aged care services supporting older Australians to maintain independence, including daily living support, personal care, social engagement, clinical and therapeutic services, cleaning, home and garden maintenance, and respite for carers, delivered through My Aged Care, the Support at Home program, CHSP, and private pay options.
• Mental Health Services Recovery-oriented mental health support for individuals with mental health needs, including psychosocial services and recovery coaching to strengthen wellbeing.
• Child, Youth and Families Support services for young people to heal and grow, including foster care, residential care, and after care services delivered in partnership with state child protection and family support systems.
• Asylum Seeker Support Short-term, needs-based support services for people seeking asylum in Australia.
• Housing and Homelessness Services Housing support, crisis accommodation, and wrap-around services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• Alcohol and Other Drugs Counselling Counselling and wellbeing support services for individuals affected by alcohol and other drug use, with a focus on recovery and harm reduction.
• Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program (FMSSP) Nationwide trauma-informed program providing wrap-around support to people at risk of or affected by forced marriage, including crisis support, safety planning, emergency accommodation, legal and financial assistance, financial counselling, university fees support, and ongoing case management, with a 24/7 intake line at 1800 403 213.
• Care 2 Thrive Therapeutic Foster Care Program Therapeutic family-based care program supporting children with complex support needs through specialist kinship or foster carers, delivered in partnership with state Child Safety departments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported people from 20 different countries of birth in first four months of Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ashgrove CheeseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Tasmanian family-owned dairy Ashgrove Cheese for community awareness campaigns at Agfest events. Joint marketing focused on creating awareness about the need for foster carers in Tasmania, with Ashgrove providing promotional support and giveaways.
• Tauondi Aboriginal CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProudly hosted by Tauondi Aboriginal College in Port Adelaide in partnership with AnglicareSA, Life Without Barriers and UnitingSA for the annual Reconciliation in the West event. This whole-of-community event promotes Reconciliation and enables sharing, learning, and engagement.
• AnglicareSAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Reconciliation in the West annual event alongside Tauondi Aboriginal College, Life Without Barriers, and UnitingSA. Collaborative event promoting Reconciliation in the Port Adelaide community.
• UnitingSAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Reconciliation in the West annual event alongside Tauondi Aboriginal College, Life Without Barriers, and AnglicareSA. Collaborative event promoting Reconciliation in the Port Adelaide community.
• Plena HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Plena Healthcare to deliver talks on aging well with chronic disease at the Newcastle Community Aged Care Expo. Joint educational content delivery for community event.
• CREATE FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREATE Foundation participates as a stallholder at Life Without Barriers' Planning for Independence Workshop for young people in care. Provides information about options and resources for young people transitioning to independence.
• Department of Communities and JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Communities and Justice participates as a stallholder at Life Without Barriers' Planning for Independence Workshop, providing information to young people in care about government services and support options for transition to independence.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yooralla: One of Victoria's largest disability service providers, offering SIL, SDA, therapy, behaviour support and respite. Directly comparable in NDIS service mix and Victorian market overlap.
• Anglicare Australia: National federation of NFPs providing foster care, disability, aged care, family and community services across Australia. Closely comparable in service mix, government funding model and faith-based NFP structure.
• Aruma: Major Australian NDIS disability services provider (formerly House with No Steps) delivering SIL, SDA, behaviour support, and employment services. Closest direct competitor in Life Without Barriers' disability service line.
• Able Australia: Specialist NFP disability provider focused on people with multiple and complex needs, delivering accommodation, therapy and respite services. Comparable NDIS-focused operating model.
• Mission Australia: Large Australian NFP delivering housing and homelessness, disability, employment, child and family services. Direct peer in government-funded social services delivery with national footprint.
• St Vincent de Paul Society: NFP providing homelessness, housing, asylum seeker support, and family services across Australia. Comparable NFP delivery model with similar reliance on government and community funding.
• Wesley Mission: NFP providing aged care, disability, mental health, homelessness, and family services across NSW. Comparable multi-line NFP social services platform with similar government funding mix.
• Uniting: Large Australian NFP providing integrated community services across NSW and ACT including aged care, disability (NDIS), child and family services, and homelessness support. Highly comparable multi-service platform with similar government funding mix.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Unity: Mutual organization providing aged care, NDIS disability services, home care, banking and insurance. Broader commercial incumbent overlapping in aged care and disability service lines.
• Salvos Stores (Salvation Army Australia): Large national NFP with extensive social services including aged care, homelessness, family violence, and disability programs. Overlapping service portfolio with broader international footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LWBAustralia
• Facebookfacebook.com/LWBAustralia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Life Without Barriers