Child Action Northwest

What Child Action Northwest does

Child Action Northwest (CANW), operating under Registered Charity No. 222533, is a UK non-profit headquartered in Chorley, Lancashire, with a regional office in Bolton. Founded in 1886 as the Blackburn Orphanage and rebranded to its current form, the organisation has supported children, young people, and families for more than 135 years across North and West England. It delivers an integrated portfolio of child welfare services spanning fostering placements (37 foster carer households, 63 individual carers supporting 54 children), Emotional Health and Wellbeing (EHWB) therapeutic interventions commissioned by Lancashire County Council across 11 schools, ProContact family contact services (ICFA, PTC, Supervised Contact, Supported Contact, Supported Handover, and the Spring Blackburn with Darwen programme), an Appropriate Adult service for vulnerable individuals in police custody, the Break the Cycle early intervention programme, and add-on services including Professional Supervision and External Safeguarding Audits.

CANW's business model is a hybrid of commissioned public-sector contracts, charitable donations and fundraising events (annual CANW Ball, Orphanage Cup football tournament, corporate sponsors), and private fee-paying services priced from £30 to £225 per session. Primary commissioning counterparties are Lancashire County Council, Cafcass, and Blackburn with Darwen, with secondary funding from the National Lottery (£160K in March 2023), the Lancashire Police & Crime Commissioner, and corporate partners. The underlying technology stack is conventional: a WordPress-based website, Google Analytics, and social media integrations, supplemented by operational certifications (Cyber Essentials, IASME, OFSTED registration SC036972, NACCC accreditation, Investors in People, Living Wage Employer, Trusted Standard Level 2). In April 2026, Tony Okotie joined as Chief Executive Officer from BBC Children in Need, marking the most recent strategic leadership transition.

Name

Child Action Northwest

Legal name

Child Action Northwest

Website

https://canw.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Child Action Northwest is a UK registered charity providing fostering, emotional health and wellbeing, family contact, and criminal justice support services to over 10,000 children, young people, and families annually across North and West England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Social Care Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Children's social care
• Fostering services
• Family contact services
• Emotional wellbeing support
• Therapeutic interventions

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Services: Services commissioned by local authorities, schools, Cafcass, and government bodies for delivery of fostering, contact services, emotional health support, and early intervention programmes. Revenue is contract-based with commissioning authorities.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and fundraising events such as the annual CANW Ball, Orphanage Cup football tournament, and general fundraising activities.
3. Private Fee-Paying Services: Some services such as supervised contact, supported contact, and supported handover are available on a private fee basis at £30-£225 per session.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Child Action Northwest is a registered charity that delivers commissioned children's social-care services including fostering placements, emotional health and wellbeing therapeutic interventions, family contact services (ProContact), appropriate adult support in police custody, and community programmes such as Break the Cycle. Services are primarily commissioned by local authorities, Cafcass, Lancashire County Council and 11 schools, with supplementary private fee-paying family contact sessions and fundraising/donation income.

Product overview

Child Action Northwest (CANW) operates as a charity offering multiple interconnected social welfare services rather than a unified software product. The core service portfolio includes Fostering (finding safe homes for children), Emotional Health & Wellbeing (EHWB) services for schools featuring a 'Pick n Mix' package model, and ProContact family contact services. ProContact encompasses sub-services including ICFA (Improving Child and Family Arrangements), Planning Together for Children (PTC), Supervised Contact, Supported Contact, Supported Handover, and Spring BwD. Additional services include Appropriate Adult support in police custody, Break the Cycle early intervention, Professional Supervision, and External Safeguarding Audits. The organisation's EHWB programme also includes Our Voice (for children in care), CYWP trainee programme, and PATH peer support groups. Services are commissioned by local authorities including Lancashire County Council and operate across North and West England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fostering Fostering service that matches children and young people with foster families, providing safe, loving and secure homes, supporting 37 foster carer households and 63 individual carers who have supported 54 children.
• Emotional Health & Wellbeing (EHWB)

Quantifiable outcome

• 27,000+ interventions provided since April 2024
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CafcasscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCafcass commissions CANW to deliver Improving Child and Family Arrangements (ICFA) across North and West England and Planning Together for Children (PTC) across Northwest. This is a core commissioned partnership for family court services.
• Lancashire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmotional Health & Wellbeing partnership with Lancashire County Council delivering therapeutic interventions to children and young people. Also partners on Early Help Partnership with 9 other agencies delivering services across Lancashire.
• NACCCcoreOthersNational Association for Child Contact Centres accredits CANW's contact centres. This accreditation ensures centres meet national standards for supervised contact services.
• Greater Manchester Mental Health TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANW hosts CYWP (Children and Young People's Wellbeing) trainees in collaboration with Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust and University of Manchester, offering training in primary mental health interventions.
• Lancashire Football AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Orphanage Cup football tournament, running since 1932, bringing together business teams to compete while raising funds for CANW.
• Loom Loft Furniture & InteriorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadline sponsor of CANW Ball 2026 'A Night to Belong', contributing to fundraising event success.
• BANG Ribble ValleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored entertainment at CANW Ball 2026, supporting the fundraising event.
• Coplow Business SupportminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored drinks reception at CANW Ball 2026.
• Lads UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing free Mental Health resources to participating teams in Orphanage Cup football tournament.
• Ella Shaw's Academy of ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership announced on International Women's Day 2023 for arts collaboration supporting young people.
• Blackburn with DarwencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partnership for Spring programme (Separated Parents Resolution, Information, Navigation, Growth) and other services in Blackburn with Darwen area.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): UK fostering and family support charity explicitly comparable to CANW's fostering and ProContact portfolio. Operates as a regional-to-national fostering provider with similar contract-based revenue model.
• Together Trust: North West England-based charity providing fostering, residential care, and family support. Geographic overlap with CANW and directly comparable service portfolio in fostering and SEND support.
• Family Action: National charity providing family support, early intervention, and emotional wellbeing services. Comparable to CANW's Family Support, EHWB, and Break the Cycle programmes.
• Coram: UK charity operating contact centres, family support, and adoption services. Direct overlap with CANW's ProContact supervised contact and ICFA services.
• Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity providing school-based counselling and emotional wellbeing support. Closely comparable to CANW's EHWB school commissions and Pick n Mix model.

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: One of the UK's largest children's charities, providing fostering, family support, and emotional wellbeing services nationally. Highly comparable service mix to CANW but operating at materially greater scale across the whole of the UK.
• Barnardo's: National UK charity delivering fostering, family support, and child mental health services. Direct overlap with CANW's fostering and ProContact programmes, with significantly broader geographic coverage.
• The Children's Society: National youth charity supporting vulnerable children including young carers and those in the justice system. Comparable to CANW's young carers and Appropriate Adult service lines.

Emerging players

• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health. Comparable to CANW's EHWB programmes but with a stronger advocacy and policy focus rather than direct service delivery.
• Reconstruct (formerly PAC-UK): UK charity supporting separated families and adopted children. Direct overlap with CANW's ProContact ICFA and Planning Together for Children services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/childactionnorthwest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/child-action-northwest
• Instagraminstagram.com/canw_charity
• Xx.com/TeamCANW

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Child Action Northwest