Kibble

What Kibble does

Kibble, legally Kibble Education & Care Centre, is a Scottish charitable company limited by guarantee (Company No 158220, Scottish Charity No SC026917) and one of Scotland's oldest charities, tracing back to Miss Elizabeth Kibble's 1840 bequest and the 1841 Trust Deed. It is headquartered at 133 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, with operational campuses across Paisley, Lochwinnoch, Hillington and North Ayrshire, and a workforce of 501-1000 employees.

The organisation delivers integrated child and youth care services for ages 5-26, built on a trauma-informed therapeutic model adopted across all services and Safe Crisis Management training in place since 2004. The core product set comprises residential care (on-campus and community-based houses, secure care, early-years houses such as Arran Villa and Forest View), three schools (Forest View Primary, Goudie Academy, Mirin Academy), The Skills Academy at Hillington Park and St Mirren's SMiSA Stadium, an Education Day Hub, Specialist Intervention Services, the IVY Project, fostering, adoption, community services for care leavers, and the SAFE service for children and families affected by crime. KibbleWorks operates as a wholly-owned commercial trading subsidiary for social-enterprise activity.

Revenue is generated through local-authority contracts across Scotland, project-based grants from government bodies (including the Scottish Government Victim Centred Approach Fund for SAFE and The National Lottery Community Fund for Project Connect-19), charitable foundation grants (e.g. Nationwide Community Fund), and commercial activity via KibbleWorks. Distribution is entirely referral-led through a 24-hour local-authority referral process; there are no publicly disclosed service fees or pricing tiers. The customer base is concentrated in Scottish local authorities, with supplementary grant funding from foundations and the Scottish and UK governments.

Name

Kibble

Legal name

Kibble Education & Care Centre

Website

https://kibble.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kibble is a Scottish charity and social enterprise founded in 1840 providing integrated residential care, education, specialist therapeutic interventions, fostering, adoption and employability services for vulnerable children and young people aged 5-26 across Scotland, primarily funded through local-authority contracts and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paisley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Local Authority Contracts: Kibble provides residential care and support to children and young people referred by local authorities, operating as a contracted service provider for statutory child care services.
2. Social Enterprise Activities: Kibble operates social enterprises including KibbleWorks, providing employment opportunities for young people and generating revenue through commercial activities.
3. Government and Charitable Grants: Project-based funding from government bodies (e.g., Scottish Government Victim Centred Approach Fund for SAFE service, The National Lottery Community Fund for Project Connect-19) and charitable foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kibble provides specialist residential care, secure care, therapeutic education, specialist psychological interventions, fostering, adoption and community-based support services for children and young people aged 5-26 who have experienced trauma, primarily under contract with Scottish local authorities. Services are delivered across multiple campuses and schools in Scotland, integrating care, education and therapy under a single trauma-informed model.

Product overview

Kibble is a specialist child and youth care charity and social enterprise providing integrated services for young people aged 5-26 facing adversity. The organization operates as a multi-service platform combining residential care (on-campus and community-based), education (Forest View Primary, Goudie Academy, Mirin Academy, The Skills Academy, Education Day Hub), specialist interventions (SIS team, IVY Project), early years services, community services, fostering and adoption services, and employment programs. Key programs include The Skills Academy vocational training, Career Start training for Child and Youth Care Workers, SAFE crime victim support, and the St. Mirren Partnership for youth employment. KibbleWorks is the commercial trading subsidiary. The organization is one of Scotland's oldest charities, established in 1840.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Care Services Provides residential care and support to children and young people aged 5-26 referred by local authorities, including on-campus accommodation for ages 12-18 and community-based care houses for children aged 5-12 and young people aged 16-21.
• Secure Care (Kibble Safe Centre)

Quantifiable outcome

• 51 care-experienced young people positively impacted through Project Connect-19 COVID-19 support initiative

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• St. Mirren Football ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative partnership between Kibble and Scottish premiership football club to strengthen youth employment. Joint initiatives include The Skills Academy base at SMiSA Stadium, Groundskeeper Traineeship programme, construction and renovation projects, CashBack Off The Bench employability programme, and community outreach activities. Young people gain practical skills, qualifications, and work experience through real-life business settings.
• SPFL TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through CashBack Off The Bench programme held within SPFL stadiums to help young people further employability skills, physical activity, and mental wellbeing.
• Skills Development ScotlandsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerReferral partner for SQA Tenancy award and employment programmes for young people.
• Invest RenfrewshiresupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerReferral partner for tenancy and employability training programmes.
• Scottish Leather GroupsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in community initiatives including warm clothing donations distributed through St Mirden partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Quarriers: Scottish charity providing residential care, fostering, and supported living for children, young people, and adults. Directly comparable as a fellow Scotland-based social care charity operating residential schools and community services for vulnerable populations.
• Together Trust: Manchester-based charity providing residential care, education, and community services for children and young people with complex needs. Comparable integrated care-and-education model and similar charity-funded operating structure.
• Five Rivers Child Care: Independent provider of children's residential care, fostering, and education across England. Closely comparable as a specialist residential and fostering operator with similar trauma-informed therapeutic positioning.
• Compass Children's Homes: UK provider of residential children's homes and therapeutic services for looked-after children. Comparable in residential care for vulnerable young people and trauma-informed care delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, operating residential care, fostering, adoption, and children's services across the UK. Overlaps with Kibble's fostering, adoption, and residential service lines at significantly greater scale.
• Action for Children: UK-wide children's charity running residential care, fostering, and family support services. Comparable in mission, funding mix (local authority contracts and donations), and service breadth though operating at a much larger national scale.
• Catch22: UK social business running children's services, education, and justice services including residential and community-based programmes. Comparable in target population (vulnerable young people) and commissioner-funded revenue model.
• The Children's Society: National UK charity supporting disadvantaged children through advocacy, county lines and exploitation support, and direct services. Comparable in mission and charity/local-authority funding mix though more focused on advocacy than residential care.

Regional players

• Children 1st: Scotland's national children's charity delivering family support, residential services, and child protection programmes. Closely comparable as a Scotland-focused children's charity with similar local authority referral model and trauma-informed practice.
• St. Andrew's Children's Society: Aberdeen-based Scottish charity providing adoption, fostering, and family support services. Comparable as a Scotland-based children's charity with similar adoption and fostering offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KibblePaisley
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5s_YAOQamec07YHGJ4NNLg
• Facebookfacebook.com/KibbleGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kibble-education-and-care-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/kibblegroup

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Kibble