VSA

What VSA does

VSA is a registered Scottish charity (SC012950) and company limited by guarantee (SC018487), founded in 1870 and headquartered at 38 Castle Street, Aberdeen. It is the North East of Scotland's largest social care charity, operating eight core service lines: mental health and wellbeing support (including five specialist residential facilities), adult and later years services (care home, very sheltered housing, care at home, VSA Connect), learning disability services (residential and trainee day placements), Aberdeenshire Carers support, Linn Moor School and Campus for children with additional support needs, children and family services, financial support grants, and Self Directed Support (SDS). The organisation employs 500-650 staff across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and reports 3.1 million hours of mental health care delivered and 365 adults supported residentially per year. VSA also operates two social enterprises, Easter Anguston Farm (working farm, garden centre, Blossom Café, trainee programmes) and Mercat Bookshop, and runs an in-house SVQ qualification centre.

The revenue model is a hybrid of public-sector contracted care delivery, charitable donations and fundraising, and social enterprise income. The dominant revenue base comes from contracts with the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, supplemented by Self Directed Support (SDS) budgets, statutory grants via Shared Care Scotland and Carers Trust, corporate donations (e.g., Ithaca Energy), individual giving through the Enthuse online platform, and event ticket sales. The 'Keep our Northern light shining bright' SOS campaign indicates active fundraising pressure. Service delivery is geographically confined to North East Scotland, with no evidence of multi-region or international expansion. Distribution is via direct service delivery at owned facilities, professional referrals from health and social work, the Granite Care Consortium partnership for integrated access, and online channels for donations and recruitment.

The operating technology stack is non-proprietary and limited to standard SaaS: Breezy HR for recruitment, Enthuse for donations and event ticketing, and Volunteer Aberdeen as a listing platform. There is no proprietary platform, no disclosed AI or machine learning capability, and no patents or trademarks. The differentiators are operational and reputational rather than technological: 155 years of continuous operation, the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, Investors in People Platinum (2021), Care Inspectorate registrations, and an in-house workforce training centre.

Name

VSA

Legal name

Aberdeen Association of Social Services

Website

https://vsa.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

VSA is a 155-year-old Scottish social care charity and the largest in North East Scotland, delivering mental health, learning disability, older person, children's, and carer services across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire via 500-650 staff and a network of owned residential and community facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (623210), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO), Healthcare-Linked Social Benefits Administration (e.g., Medicaid/Means-Tested Health Coverage) (BPAIAKAH)

Keywords

• Social care services
• Mental health support
• Learning disability care
• Older adult residential care
• Carer support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Aberdeen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: VSA relies on public donations, corporate donations, and fundraising campaigns including its 'Keep our Northern light shining bright' campaign. The charity raised over £1M from supporters last year.
2. Government and Local Authority Contracts: VSA provides regulated care services (mental health, learning disability, adult care, children's services) under contract with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, funded through public social care allocations.
3. Event Revenue: VSA sells tickets to events such as The Critter Keeper (£7 per person) and Psychic Nights (£20) as both community engagement and fundraising mechanisms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

VSA is a registered Scottish charity (Aberdeen Association of Social Services) founded in 1870 that delivers residential and community-based social care, education and family support services across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Its offerings span mental health support, learning disability services, adult and later years care, the Linn Moor residential school for children with additional support needs, children and family services, carer support and information, Self-Directed Support brokerage, and emergency financial support grants, supplemented by social enterprises and an in-house SVQ training centre.

Product overview

VSA is a social care charity offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated care services across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The organization operates as a multi-service provider with distinct but interconnected offerings: Mental Health & Wellbeing Support (5 residential facilities), Adult and Later Years in Life Services (Care at Home, Crosby House care home, Very Sheltered Housing at Broomhill Park and Cloverfield Grove, VSA Connect), Learning Disability Services (Craigton Grove residential, Adult Trainee Day Placement), Linn Moor School and Campus for children with additional support needs, Children and Family Services (including Friends for Life Club), Aberdeenshire Carers support, and Financial Support/SDS. The organization also operates social enterprises including Easter Anguston Farm and Mercat Bookshop, and provides training qualifications through its SVQ Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VSA Mental Health Services Community-based and personalised mental health support for adults experiencing mental ill health across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, including accommodation-related assistance and pathways to sustained independence.
• VSA Learning Disability Services Person-centred care and support services for children and adults with learning disabilities and their families across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
• VSA Adult & Later Years Services Care services for older adults and adults needing help to live independently at home across the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire region.
• Linn Moor School Residential school and care for children and young people with additional support needs, offering year-round education and care placements.
• VSA Children & Family Services Support services tailored to children, young people and families across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, addressing a range of social and family support needs.
• VSA Carer Support Services Dedicated information, advice, training and respite support for unpaid family carers, helping them sustain their caring role and wellbeing.
• Self-Directed Support (SDS) Brokerage and support service helping individuals in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire choose, design and manage their own social care packages under the Scottish Self-Directed Support framework.
• VSA Financial Support Grants Emergency financial grants providing short-term hardship support to individuals and families facing financial difficulty across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
• Easter Anguston Farm Working social enterprise farm offering therapeutic activities, educational visits, and farm retail, with proceeds supporting VSA's charitable services.
• Mercat Bookshop Social enterprise bookshop reselling second-hand books, with proceeds contributing to VSA's charitable services.
• VSA SVQ Centre / Qualifications with VSA In-house SVQ training and assessment centre delivering accredited Scottish Vocational Qualifications, primarily in social care, to develop the local workforce.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.1 million hours of care provided; 365 adults directly supported residentially; 2,340 hours of mental health outreach support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Granite Care ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA is proud to be part of Granite Care Consortium which is made up of local third-sector and private sector providers with decades of experience in delivering health and social care services. The Consortium was set up so that people have quick and easy access to person-centred, integrated care.
• ACVO (Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA is listed on Volunteer Aberdeen, a city-wide initiative from ACVO. This partnership promotes hundreds of local organisations looking for help and time to make a positive impact, and allows VSA volunteers aged 16-25 to claim Saltire Awards and Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
• Shared Care ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA is Aberdeenshire's delivery partner for Time to Live (TTL) Creative Breaks funding, run by Shared Care Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. This funding provides microgrants of up to £300 to unpaid carers to help them take a vital break from their caring role.
• CarefreeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarefree is a multi-award-winning digital charity offering full-time unpaid carers in the UK the chance of an annual short break (1–2 nights hotel stay plus breakfast for a £38 admin fee). VSA refers carers to Carefree for this service.
• Carers TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA is a network partner of Carers Trust, one of the National Carers Organisations. This partnership keeps VSA briefed with all matters relating to unpaid carers and provides access to a wealth of further information and resources.
• Coalition of Carers in Scotland (COCIS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA is a network partner of Coalition of Carers in Scotland (COCIS), one of the National Carers Organisations, which provides resources including 'What to Expect' downloadable leaflets for carers.
• Chest Heart & Stroke ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA's Aberdeenshire Carers Service partnered with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and The Diffley Partnership to conduct a consultation with carers about the support they need, helping to shape future services.
• Family FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Fund is a national charity providing wide-ranging grants to families in Scotland raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person on a low income. VSA signposts carers to Family Fund resources.
• Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSA collaborates with the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership to maintain its services. This partnership is central to VSA's contracted care service delivery model.
• EnthusecoreTechnology or IntegrationEnthuse is the third-party online payment provider used by VSA for its donation pages and event ticketing. All online donations made via VSA's website are processed by Enthuse on behalf of VSA.
• Breezy HRcoreTechnology or IntegrationBreezy HR is the applicant tracking system and careers portal platform used by VSA for posting job vacancies, managing applications, and the employee referral portal.
• Ithaca Energy plcminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner Ithaca Energy plc has shown significant commitment to supporting VSA, including creating an Ithaca 'sensory' garden at Linn Moor School with employee volunteers. Ithaca Energy's teams have volunteered to clear ground, erect fences, and plant shrubs and trees.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Leonard Cheshire: Leonard Cheshire is one of the UK's largest disability charities, providing supported living, residential care, and education services nationally. Like VSA, it serves people with disabilities but operates at a much larger UK-wide scale with a broader service portfolio spanning more regions.
• Mencap: Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity, supporting people across all life stages with advocacy, housing, and care services. Like VSA's learning disability portfolio, it focuses on this population but operates nationally at significantly larger scale with substantially greater fundraising reach.
• Sue Ryder: Sue Ryder is a UK charity providing palliative care, neurological care, and bereavement support through residential hospices and community services. Like VSA, it operates residential facilities and community services across multiple populations, though focused on different specialty areas.
• MHA (Methodist Homes): MHA is one of the UK's largest charitable elderly care providers, operating care homes, retirement living, and community support. Like VSA's Crosby House dementia care and Very Sheltered Housing, it focuses on older people's care but at much larger national scale with greater commercial sophistication.

Direct peers

• Enable Scotland: Enable Scotland supports people with learning disabilities and their families across Scotland through self-directed support, advocacy, and personalised services. Like VSA's SDS offering and learning disability portfolio, it operates a personalisation-led care model within the Scottish social care commissioning framework.
• Turning Point: Turning Point is a UK social care charity delivering mental health, learning disability, and substance misuse services. Like VSA's mental health residential and outreach services, it operates person-centred support across residential and community settings with comparable operating model and service mix.
• Crossreach: Crossreach is the Church of Scotland's social care charity and one of Scotland's largest care providers. Like VSA, it delivers residential, community, and family support services across multiple populations, making it a structurally similar regional Scottish social care peer with overlapping HSCP-style contract reliance.
• Quarriers: Quarriers is a long-established Scottish charity providing residential care, learning disability support, mental health services, and family support. Like VSA, it operates an integrated multi-service portfolio with residential facilities and community programmes, and shares similar regional Scottish contract dependencies.
• Capability Scotland: Capability Scotland is a Scottish disability charity providing supported living, residential care, education, and advocacy for people with disabilities. Like VSA's learning disability services, Craigton Grove, and Friends for Life Club, it focuses on disabled persons across the lifespan in a Scottish regional operating model.

Emerging players

• Scottish Autism: Scottish Autism is a specialist Scottish charity providing autism-specific services across the lifespan. Like VSA's Linn Moor School (which has UK-wide recognition for autism work), it operates in the autism services niche but with a more focused, single-population service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/supportVSA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vsaaberdeen
• Facebookfacebook.com/vsaaberdeen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vsa
• Instagraminstagram.com/supportvsa

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 VSA