First Steps ED
First Steps ED is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO 1185092) founded in 2004 that delivers non-clinical, community-based eating disorder support — including CBT-T one-to-one programs, befriending, counselling, and workshops — to nearly 3,000 children, young people, adults, and families annually across 12 NHS-commissioned regions in England.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersDerby, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What First Steps ED does
First Steps ED is a UK-based Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registered charity 1185092) founded in 2004 and headquartered in Derby, operating as a non-clinical, community-based eating disorder support charity. The organization delivers a portfolio of recovery-oriented services — including structured 10-session one-to-one support (CBT-T and CBT-AR approaches), befriending (6-9 month peer support), counselling and psychotherapy across multiple modalities, nutritional support, themed workshops (Body Image, Boys and Men, ARFID, Binge Eating), online support groups (Waiting Well, Pip's Place: Next Steps), school-based workshops, and parent/carer support programs — for individuals aged 5+, their families, schools, and healthcare professionals.
The charity's business model is a hybrid of NHS/ICB-commissioned public funding (services delivered free in 12 commissioned regions across England through Integrated Care Boards including Derby & Derbyshire, Birmingham & Solihull, Coventry & Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, Leicester/Leicestershire/Rutland, and others), fee-based Private Practice sessions (£25-£70 per session) for areas lacking commissioning, corporate partnerships (e.g., David Wilson Homes), grant funding (BBC Children in Need, National Lottery, The Noel Sweeney Foundation), individual donations and challenge events, plus ancillary commercial revenue from CPD-accredited training (£60/course), school workshops (£195/session), and self-guided digital resources (£15/course). The organization reports an 8:1 funding leverage ratio, indicating that for every £1 of NHS commissioner investment it secures an additional £8 through fundraising, grants, and donations.
Following its July 2023 merger with Talk ED (formerly Anorexia & Bulimia Care), First Steps ED now serves nearly 3,000 people annually with a staff of 11-50, holding a Queen's Award for Voluntary Services (2016) and operating under a new CEO appointed in 2024 with an explicit ambition to become the UK's leading all-ages eating disorder charity.
First Steps ED firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Steps ED
- Legal name
- First Steps ED
- Website
- https://firststepsed.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- First Steps ED is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO 1185092) founded in 2004 that delivers non-clinical, community-based eating disorder support — including CBT-T one-to-one programs, befriending, counselling, and workshops — to nearly 3,000 children, young people, adults, and families annually across 12 NHS-commissioned regions in England.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
First Steps ED industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Eating Disorder Support Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops) (EDAAAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG)
Keywords
Where First Steps ED is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Derby
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
First Steps ED business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- NHS and ICB Commissioning: Services are commissioned and funded by local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and NHS organisations across multiple regions including Derbyshire, Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Wiltshire.
- Private Practice Fees: Self-funded services available for individuals in areas without commissioned services. Session fees range from £25 to £70 depending on service type and practitioner level.
- Corporate Partnerships: Tailor-made corporate partnerships with businesses providing financial support, employee fundraising, event sponsorship, and specialist training access. Companies like David Wilson Homes have partnered to support services.
- Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, challenge events, lottery participation, legacy giving, and payroll giving. For every £1 invested by NHS commissioners, First Steps ED secures an additional £8 through fundraising, grants, and donations.
- Grant Funding: Funding from charitable foundations and grant-making organisations including BBC Children in Need, The Noel Sweeney Foundation, Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation, and Foundation Derbyshire.
- CPD Training: CPD-accredited training courses for professionals at £60 per course covering topics like Introduction to Eating Disorders, Body Image, ARFID, and Eating Disorders in Boys and Men.
- Self-Guided Resources: Online self-guided resources and e-courses priced at £15 for First Steps to Recovery and Parent and Carer Self-Help guides.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | One to One Support sessions - £45 per session |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ARFID One to One Support - £45 per session |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Counselling and Psychotherapy - £25 to £70 per session |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Nutritional Support - £45 per hour |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Skills for Carers Workshop - £45 for three week course |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Self-Guided Resources - £15 per course |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | CPD Training Courses - £60 per course |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Workshops - £195 per session |
| — | Pay-as-you-go | Befriending - Free/donation requested |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
First Steps ED product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Steps ED is a UK non-profit charity that delivers non-clinical, community-based support services for individuals aged 5+ affected by eating disorders, disordered eating, and related mental health challenges, as well as their parents, carers, and families. Services include 10-session one-to-one programmes using CBT-T and CBT-AR approaches, befriending, counselling, nutritional support, workshops, support groups, school-based education, and CPD-accredited training for professionals, delivered both face-to-face and online across 12 commissioned regions in England.
Product overview
First Steps ED is an Eating Disorder Support & Recovery Charity offering a comprehensive portfolio of support services rather than a traditional tech product. The core service offering includes One to One Support (10-session personalized programs using CBT-T and CBT-AR approaches), ARFID Support, Befriending (6-9 month peer support), Counselling & Psychotherapy (multiple therapeutic modalities), Nutritional Support, Workshops (Body Image, Boys and Men, ARFID, Binge Eating, Young Person's Wellbeing, Finding Peace with Food), Support Groups (Waiting Well, Pip's Place: Next Steps), Schools Support, and Parent & Carer Support. Additional offerings include Private Practice (fee-based services for non-NHS funded areas), Self-Guided Resources (digital self-help tools), and CPD Training for professionals. Services are primarily non-clinical community-based support designed by people with lived experience, operating across the Midlands and Home Counties with NHS commissioning.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- One to One Support
Quantifiable outcome
- For every £1 invested by NHS commissioners, First Steps ED secures an additional £8 through fundraising, grants, and donations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use First Steps ED
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
First Steps ED technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
First Steps ED partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICBcoreFirst Steps ED works in partnership with NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB to deliver eating disorder support services in the Derbyshire region, providing early intervention and community-based support complementing NHS clinical services.
- Birmingham and Solihull ICBcoreICB-commissioned services delivering eating disorder support across Birmingham and Solihull region.
- Coventry and Warwickshire ICBcoreCommissioned partnership providing eating disorder services across Coventry and Warwickshire area.
- Hertfordshire ICBcoreICB-funded eating disorder support services in Hertfordshire region.
- Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICBcorePartnership with LLR ICB to deliver commissioned eating disorder support services.
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustcorePartnership delivering services in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire regions through NHS trust collaboration.
- Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustcoreNHS trust partnership supporting eating disorder services in Nottinghamshire.
- David Wilson HomessupportingCorporate partner demonstrating positive impact on communities through donations and support for eating disorder services.
- University of DerbysupportingUniversity partnership providing student placements and supporting research initiatives including children's book on healthy eating.
- University of NottinghamsupportingResearch partnership developed in collaboration with King's College London and First Steps ED for the 'Eating Disorders in Boys and Men' training workshop.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
First Steps ED competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Place2Be: UK children's mental-health charity delivering in-school counselling, training, and mental-health support programmes. Comparable to First Steps ED's schools-based Body Image and Self-Esteem workshops and CPD training, with a closely aligned school-channel GTM.
- National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): Largest US eating-disorder organisation providing a helpline, screening tools, professional resources, and public education. Comparable mission and service mix to First Steps ED, but operating in a different healthcare and funding system; useful cross-border benchmark for brand and resource scale.
- Mind: The largest mental-health charity in England and Wales, providing information, local services, and campaigning across all mental-health conditions. Comparable as an adjacent mental-health charity but operating across conditions rather than specialising in eating disorders, and a potential competitor for restricted voluntary income.
- YoungMinds: UK's leading charity championing children and young people's mental health, providing information, training, and resources for parents, schools, and professionals. Comparable to First Steps ED's Schools Support workshops and Parent & Carer Support programmes given overlapping youth-and-families mental health audiences.
Direct peers
- Men Get Eating Disorders Too (MGEDT): UK charity raising awareness and supporting men and boys affected by eating disorders through peer support and campaigning. Comparable to First Steps ED's growing focus on male eating disorders via its 'Boys and Men' workshops and to its lived-experience-led community model.
- Beat: The UK's largest eating-disorder charity, running national helplines, online support groups, and information services. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping all-ages support, awareness, and recovery services, though Beat operates at materially greater national scale than First Steps ED's currently regional commissioning footprint.
- NCFED (National Centre for Eating Disorders): UK-based specialist eating-disorder information and training organisation offering practitioner CPD courses and treatment referrals. Comparable to First Steps ED's CPD-accredited training stream and educational resources, with overlap on professional training as a paid channel.
Regional players
- SWEDA (Somerset & Wiltshire Eating Disorders Association): Regional UK eating-disorder charity providing peer support groups, befriending, and signposting across the South West. Comparable to First Steps ED's befriending and support group programmes, but serving a different geography without NHS-commissioned one-to-one therapy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
First Steps ED social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Steps ED financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Steps ED leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
First Steps ED subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
First Steps ED funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Steps ED M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Steps ED
What does First Steps ED do?
First Steps ED is a UK non-profit charity that delivers non-clinical, community-based support services for individuals aged 5+ affected by eating disorders, disordered eating, and related mental health challenges, as well as their parents, carers, and families. Services include 10-session one-to-one programmes using CBT-T and CBT-AR approaches, befriending, counselling, nutritional support, workshops, support groups, school-based education, and CPD-accredited training for professionals, delivered both face-to-face and online across 12 commissioned regions in England.
Is First Steps ED a public or private company?
First Steps ED is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was First Steps ED founded?
First Steps ED was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is First Steps ED based?
First Steps ED is headquartered in Derby, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does First Steps ED make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. NHS and ICB Commissioning is the primary driver. The others are private Practice Fees, corporate Partnerships, donations and Fundraising, grant Funding, CPD Training and self-Guided Resources.
Who are First Steps ED's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Place2Be, National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Mind and YoungMinds. Direct peers are Men Get Eating Disorders Too (MGEDT), Beat and NCFED (National Centre for Eating Disorders). SWEDA (Somerset & Wiltshire Eating Disorders Association) is listed as a regional player.
Does First Steps ED have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Steps ED.
What industry is First Steps ED in?
First Steps ED's product category is Eating Disorder Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAG, Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops), with a secondary code of EDAJALAG, Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12). Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.