Sister System

What Sister System does

Sister System is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1177669) founded in 2017, headquartered at Studio 14, The Trampery, 639 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 8AA. It runs a single, unified three-stage longitudinal programme called Enable, Enhance, Empower for care-affected girls and young women aged 13-24 in London, delivered through therapeutic and peer-to-peer mentoring, resilience-building workshops, OCN-accredited Level 2 qualifications, career coaching, and a Youth Advisory Board leadership platform. The charity was incubated by Impetus and the Centre for Social Impact, with founders Okela Douglas-Norgrove (CEO) and Geraldine Washington alongside cross-sector professionals and care leavers, and is currently supported by a multi-disciplinary team of 11-50 staff plus a broader talent pool of therapists, trainers, and assessors.

The underlying technology footprint is modest: a CRM system for tracking progress, safeguarding, and outcomes (overhauled in 2025), an OCN approved centre licence (approval number 60924) for accredited qualification delivery, and standard digital channels including website, email, and social media. There is no proprietary software, app, or platform beyond the CRM. The organisation's differentiators are human-led: lived-experience staff, an alumni-to-staff pipeline (Sis-Stars become Big Sisters, peer mentors, and trustees), a race, culture, and gender equity lens, and up to nine years of support bridging key transition points for the beneficiary cohort.

Sister System is a non-profit with no disclosed revenue figures, generating income from a diversified mix of individual donations, corporate partnerships (ESG/CSR aligned), and grant funding from foundations, government bodies (Mayor of London), and impact investors including Impetus, the Backing the Best Connect Fund, and CD&R Foundation. All programmes are fully funded and free to beneficiaries. The training and capacity-building service line for other organisations represents an emerging fee-based revenue stream, while the primary GTM is referral-based through local authorities, schools, social services, NHS, and statutory partners.

Name

Sister System

Legal name

Sister System

Website

https://sistersystem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sister System is a UK-registered charity running the Enable, Enhance, Empower three-stage programme for care-affected girls and young women aged 13-24 in London, delivering therapeutic mentoring, OCN-accredited qualifications, and career coaching free of charge through referral-based partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Care Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Social care charity
• Educational empowerment programmes
• Accredited qualifications training
• Care-leaver support

Headquarters

HQ city

England

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Individual Giving: Charitable donations from individuals supporting the charity's mission to empower care-affected girls and young women.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorship, fundraising employee engagement, and campaign initiatives with businesses aligned to ESG and CSR commitments.
3. Grant Funding: Funding from foundations, government bodies (Mayor of London), and impact investors such as Impetus and Backing the Best Connect Fund.
4. Training and Capacity Building Services: Structured training packages for organisations and practitioners working with care-affected girls, including bespoke 1:1 sessions on programme design and development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sister System is a UK-registered charity that delivers a three-stage Enable, Enhance, Empower programme for girls and young women aged 13-24 affected by the care system, providing therapeutic and peer-to-peer mentoring, Nationally accredited Level 2 qualifications, resilience-building workshops, career coaching, and access to a supportive community. All programmes are free to beneficiaries and funded through donations, grants, and corporate partnerships, with structured training and capacity-building services offered to organisations and practitioners working with care-affected girls.

Product overview

Sister System is a charity offering a single, unified three-stage empowerment programme (Enable, Enhance, Empower) for girls and young women aged 13-24 affected by the care system. The programme delivers therapeutic and peer-to-peer mentoring, nationally accredited Level 2 Open College Network qualifications, skills-development workshops, career coaching, and access to a supportive community. The stages progress sequentially: Enable (up to 12 months) provides resilience-building workshops and peer mentoring for ages 13-21; Enhance (12-18 months) adds leadership development and a Level 2 Developing Leadership Skills qualification for ages 13-24; and Empower (12-24 months) prepares ages 16-24 for employment or further education with two Level 2 qualifications (Peer Mentoring and Preparing for Employment) and the Honour Thyself cultural identity programme. Additional offerings include Resilience Building Sessions (six modules), Therapeutic Mentoring, Career Coaching, a Youth Advisory Board leadership platform, and Training & Capacity Building services for professionals. The charity also provides supplementary support including food vouchers, health and beauty goodie bags, residentials, networking, and work experience opportunities. Sister System is an OCN-approved centre (approval number 60924) and registered UK charity (number 1177669).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Enable (Stage 1) The first stage of the Sister System journey, providing resilience-building workshops, one-to-one peer-to-peer mentoring, and guidance to help girls aged 13-21 build confidence and take control of their future over up to 12 months with fortnightly sessions.
• Enhance (Stage 2) The second stage focusing on leadership development, mentoring, and accredited learning for young women aged 13-24 over 12-18 months. Participants gain a Level 2 qualification in Developing Leadership Skills and explore topics including healthy relationships, drugs and alcohol, and women's health.
• Empower (Stage 3) The final stage of the journey for young women aged 16-24 over 12-24 months, focusing on preparing for independence, leadership, and employment. Includes the Honour Thyself programme, career preparation, and two Level 2 accredited qualifications: Peer Mentoring and Preparing for Employment.
• Resilience Building Sessions Six-module programme equipping young women with tools and strategies to navigate adolescence while cultivating positive mental and emotional wellbeing, independence, aspiration, and progression towards further education, training, and skilled employment. Modules include Me/Myself & I, Communication, Sex/Drugs & Social Media, Relationships, Identity exploration, and Teen to Woman transition.
• Training & Capacity Building for Professionals Structured training packages for organisations and practitioners working with care-affected girls. Includes bespoke 1:1 sessions on programme design and development, monthly group webinar sessions with peer network and community practice events, and partnership approaches that strengthen organisations while contributing to wider systems change.
• Youth Advisory Board A leadership and empowerment platform for girls and young women aged 16-24 with lived experience of care. The Board plays a vital role in shaping strategy and governance, ensuring work is guided by real voices, insight, and experiences. Members serve in paid part-time roles with professional development and personalised guidance into education, employment and self-employment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of participants improve their mental wellbeing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• UK YouthsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on Thriving Minds programme. 'It was inspiring to witness the strong community they have built and their constant determination to continue to develop and expand.' - Rania Hamdi, Project Officer at UK Youth
• Haringey Young Adults ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Local authority partnership for supporting care leavers and young adults in Haringey borough.
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership supporting employment pathways and career development for care-affected young women.
• Spurs FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership supporting girls at risk and providing additional resources and community connections.
• Centre for Social ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Supported two years of research and development, including think tanks with 17 care leavers during the incubation phase.
• Barnardo'ssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding relationships with Barnardo's for collaborative working and shared mission alignment.
• OnSidesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OnSide Youth Zones for building connections and supporting young people.
• Jamie's FarmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding relationships with Jamie's Farm for supporting young people's development.
• Hope in HaringeysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinuing partnership with Hope in Haringey, with John Wood MBE, to support the local community.
• The Lighthouse Pedagogy TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerExploring potential collaborations and capacity-building opportunities with Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang from The Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust.
• Mind in HaringeysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health charity that facilitated a session on stress management at Sister System's Capacity Building Event on Promoting & Protecting mentors' mental well-being.
• The Diana AwardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCamilla Elwood, director for Programmes and Partnerships at The Diana Award, joined the board of trustees, bringing extensive experience in capacity building and grant-making.
• Child's i FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAttended the Child's i Foundation Anniversary Dinner, celebrating their incredible work in the sector.
• Local SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local secondary schools for programme delivery. Expanded delivery into new boroughs and schools in 2025.
• Open College Network (OCN)coreOthersSister System is an OCN approved centre (approval number 60924), enabling delivery of nationally recognised Level 2 accredited qualifications.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, working with care-experienced young people across fostering, mental health, and youth services. Sister System already lists Barnardo's as a strategic partner, and they overlap in target population (care-affected children) and London delivery footprint, though Barnardo's operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• The Children's Society: Major UK national charity supporting disadvantaged children including care leavers, with programmes on exploitation, mental health, and youth justice. Comparable in mission focus on vulnerable adolescents and in operating model (mentoring, advocacy, statutory partnerships), but at significantly broader scope and scale than Sister System.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Large UK charity demonstrating the scale and operating model that a specialized cause-based charity can achieve through diversified income (donations, legacies, fundraising, corporate partnerships). Comparable as a UK charity-sector archetype relevant to Sister System's potential trajectory, though serving a different beneficiary population.
• Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity delivering employability, education, and enterprise programmes for disadvantaged young people aged 11-30. Comparable in mission on youth progression to FE/employment and in offering accredited qualifications, though much larger and broader in age and population scope than Sister System.
• National Children's Bureau: Long-established UK charity focused on improving outcomes for children and young people, particularly those facing disadvantage. Overlaps in target beneficiary profile and policy/practice focus on care-experienced young people, but operates as a broader membership and advocacy body rather than direct delivery specialist.

Direct peers

• Become: UK charity specifically supporting children in care and care leavers through advocacy, advice, and policy work. Directly comparable target population (care-experienced young people), overlapping policy and practice ecosystem in England, and similar reliance on grant funding and statutory referrals.
• UK Youth: National umbrella and direct-delivery youth charity that Sister System has collaborated with on the Thriving Minds programme. Targets young people through youth organisations, with comparable focus on mental wellbeing, life skills, and accredited outcomes for disadvantaged youth in England.
• OnSide Youth Zones: Network of youth centres providing safe spaces, mentoring, and personal development for young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs). Listed as a Sister System partner, with directly comparable youth development mission and local-authority-funded delivery model, though broader in age range.
• Drive Forward Foundation: UK charity supporting care leavers aged 16-25 with employability, education, and personal development programmes. Directly comparable in target population (care-experienced young adults in London) and in operating approach (mentoring, skills development, employer engagement), making it one of the closest mission-aligned peers.

Others

• Impetus: UK venture philanthropy fund that incubated Sister System from 2017 and remains a core funder. Not a peer in delivery, but a relevant ecosystem comparator illustrating the type of growth-stage charity infrastructure Sister System may plug into for future scaling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSisterSystem
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sister-system

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Sister System