L'Arche

What L'Arche does

L'Arche is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee that operates a federation of 11 inclusive communities across England, Scotland, and Wales, providing person-centred support to 283 adults with learning disabilities through residential care, supported living, housing, day services, and life-skills programmes. The organisation's defining feature is its life-sharing model, in which people with and without learning disabilities share daily life in ordinary homes within local neighbourhoods, supported by live-in assistants, interns, apprentices, and volunteers. L'Arche is part of a global federation founded in France in 1964 by Jean Vanier, with 160 communities across 37-38 countries and 17,000-plus members worldwide, headquartered in Paris.

L'Arche is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (England), the Care Inspectorate (Scotland), and the Care Inspectorate (Wales), and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. The organisation employs 509 staff (72.5% female, with a 0% median gender pay gap as of 5 April 2025) and is led by National Leader Laura Harper alongside a National Leadership Team and a Board of Trustees chaired by Aedan MacGreevy. Community-level leadership is decentralised, with individual Community Leaders and Registered Managers for each location.

The revenue model combines three streams: government social-care funding via local-authority placements, fees charged to individuals and families for care and support services, and charitable donations including regular giving, legacies, community fundraising, and corporate partnerships. L'Arche's go-to-market is community-led, acquiring members and families through referrals from social services, local-authority placements, word-of-mouth, and self-referrals via the website, with growth driven by the appeal of the life-sharing model. Technology plays a limited operational role: the organisation uses Mailchimp for email marketing, Google Forms and SurveyMonkey for surveys, and a SharePoint intranet, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. In 2020, the international federation published findings of an independent inquiry confirming abusive behaviour by founder Jean Vanier, prompting an external Study Commission that reported in 2023, and the organisation continues to operate within this reformed governance context.

Name

L'Arche

Legal name

L'Arche

Website

https://larche.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

L'Arche is a UK charity operating 11 inclusive communities across England, Scotland, and Wales, providing person-centred residential, supported living, and day services to 283 adults with learning disabilities through a life-sharing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care Services for People with Learning Disabilities

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (623210), Other Residential Care Facilities (623990), Home Health Care Services (62161)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Respite Care for Adults with Disabilities / Special Needs (HSABAGAI), Housing Transition & Supported Living Navigation (EDAKANAK)

Keywords

• Learning disability care
• Supported living services
• Residential care homes
• Inclusive community living
• Social care nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Silsden

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, major donors, and fundraising campaigns including events, legacies, and community fundraising activities.
2. Government Social Care Funding: Funded support packages from local authorities and government bodies for adults with learning disabilities receiving care services.
3. Fees for Care and Support Services: Fees charged to individuals or their families for person-centred support, residential care, supported living, housing, and day services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

L'Arche provides person-centred care and support for adults with learning disabilities through 11 Communities across England, Scotland, and Wales, using a life-sharing model in which people with and without learning disabilities share daily life together. Core paid services include residential care, supported living and housing, day services and life-skills programs, and inclusive community spaces such as cafés, creative workshops, and retreat days. L'Arche also offers engagement programs including the L'Arche Internship, live-in Community Worker roles, care apprenticeships, and local volunteering opportunities.

Product overview

L'Arche is a charitable organization providing person-centred support for adults with learning disabilities through a network of 11 communities across England, Scotland, and Wales. The organization offers a multi-layered service portfolio comprising core residential services (supported living, housing, and residential care), day services and life skills programs, and multiple engagement programs (live-in assistant roles, internships, apprenticeships, and local volunteering). Services are delivered through physical communities where people with and without learning disabilities share life together, supported by centralized financial and fundraising operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supported Living and Housing Residential support services providing accommodation and daily assistance within L'Arche Communities for adults with learning disabilities, enabling them to live as independently as possible in an inclusive community setting.
• Residential Care Full-time residential care services for people with learning disabilities living within L'Arche Community homes, regulated by CQC, Care Inspectorate Scotland, and Care Inspectorate Wales.
• Day Services Day activities and life-skills programs supporting people with learning disabilities to develop independence, social connections, and community participation.
• Live-in Community Worker Program International live-in option for visa applicants wanting to join L'Arche for a year, sharing life with people with learning disabilities and participating in reflective learning and community living.
• Live-In Assistants Year-long live-in assistant positions where participants share life alongside people with learning disabilities and participate in reflective learning programmes focused on personal growth and community living.
• The L'Arche Internship A year-long program sharing life alongside people in L'Arche with a reflective learning programme focused on community development, personal growth, and change-making.
• Care Apprenticeships Apprenticeship programs for those seeking to develop careers in care and support for people with learning disabilities, combining on-the-job learning with structured training.
• Volunteering Opportunities Local volunteer opportunities at L'Arche Communities, allowing individuals to share time, skills, and create friendships with members.
• Community Café and Creative Workshops Inclusive community spaces offering café activities and creative workshops for people with and without learning disabilities, funded in part through charitable donations.
• Inclusive Retreat Days Retreat experiences for people with and without learning disability to spend time together in inclusive settings, supporting reflection, community building, and shared life.

Quantifiable outcome

• 283 members with learning disabilities supported across 11 UK communities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Care Quality Commission (CQC)coreOthersRegulatory body for health and adult social care in England. L'Arche is registered with and inspected by CQC as a care provider.
• Care Inspectorate (Scotland)coreOthersScottish care inspectorate regulating care services in Scotland. L'Arche is registered as a care provider in Scotland.
• Care Inspectorate (Wales)coreOthersWelsh care inspectorate regulating care services in Wales. L'Arche operates communities in Wales.
• MailchimpminorOthersEmail marketing platform used by L'Arche UK to manage newsletter subscriptions and marketing communications with supporters and donors.
• Fundraising RegulatorcoreOthersL'Arche is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and follows the Code of Practice for fundraising.
• UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)strategicOthersL'Arche International was granted special consultative status with UN ECOSOC in 2015, enabling advocacy on disability rights at the United Nations.
• Kingston University (The KIND Research Group)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerL'Arche London member Richard Keagan-Bull is part of a research team at Kingston University led by Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne, conducting studies on adults with learning disabilities including the 'Growing Older, Planning Ahead' project (2020-2023).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Certitude: Certitude is a London-based charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs through supported living and community services. It overlaps L'Arche in geography, mission, and service model.
• United Response: United Response is a UK disability charity providing supported living, residential care, and community-based services for people with learning disabilities and autism. It operates a similar person-centred support model with multiple local services across England and Wales.
• Voyage Care: Voyage Care is one of the UK's largest private providers of supported living and residential care for people with learning disabilities and complex needs. It competes with L'Arche for local authority contracts and offers a similar but more standardised service portfolio.
• MacIntyre: MacIntyre is a UK charity providing lifelong learning, supported living, and residential services for children and adults with learning disabilities. It shares L'Arche's commitment to person-centred support and community-based living.
• Sense: Sense is a UK disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities including learning disabilities, deafblindness, and sensory impairments. It provides residential, day, and community services comparable to L'Arche's portfolio.
• Hft: Hft (Home Farm Trust) is a UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities through supported living, residential care, and day services. It is one of the largest learning disability charities in the UK and competes with L'Arche for local authority placements and family referrals.
• Mencap: Mencap is the UK's largest learning disability charity, providing supported living, residential services, employment support, and advocacy. While much larger than L'Arche, it directly competes for the same families, commissioners, and donor base.
• Camphill Communities: Camphill Communities are intentional life-sharing communities for people with learning disabilities and other vulnerabilities, operating across the UK. They are structurally the closest peer to L'Arche given the shared life-sharing, co-residential model.

Broad incumbents

• Turning Point: Turning Point is a large UK social enterprise providing learning disability, mental health, and substance misuse services. It overlaps L'Arche in supported living for people with learning disabilities but operates at much greater scale and across broader service categories.
• National Autistic Society: The National Autistic Society is a large UK charity providing services for autistic people, many of whom also have learning disabilities. It offers supported living, residential, and day services and overlaps with L'Arche's customer base and commissioning relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LArcheUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/UK.LARCHE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/larche-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/larcheuk

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 L'Arche