Learning Partnership West CIC

What Learning Partnership West CIC does

Learning Partnership West CIC (LPW) is a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee registered in England (company number 2911928), headquartered at LPW House, Princess Street, Bristol. Operating across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and (for its Education Recovery Project) North Somerset, LPW delivers an integrated portfolio of children and young people's (CYP) community services organised around a trauma-informed, relational-learning methodology. Its service lines comprise LPW Play Work (anchored by The Big Hideout adventure playground in Hartcliffe plus Forest School and pop-up delivery), LPW Youth Work (open-access, detached, mobile-bus outreach via Urbie and Doris, and targeted sessions for GRT, NEET, SEND and LGBTQ+ cohorts), and LPW Education — a graduated alternative-provision ladder running from the part-time Education Recovery Project and Recovery Plus+, through LPW College, to the full-time Ofsted-rated LPW School for ages 14–16. Cross-cutting programmes include Engage (1:1 and group mentoring) and LPW Changes (anti-social behaviour, serious youth violence and child criminal exploitation intervention).

LPW's 'technology' is its practitioner methodology rather than a software platform: a trauma-informed relational framework with emotionally available adults, a co-developed evidence-based GRT delivery model (built with Bristol City Council's GRT team and the University of Bristol), and Youth Voice / co-production embedded in governance. LPW monetises through a multi-stream not-for-profit revenue model: public-sector grants and contracts (notably the South Gloucestershire Youth Work Partnership Lot 2 and Violence Reduction Partnership), referral-based fees from schools and agencies for alternative provision, paid training and CPD through LPW Inspire, and fundraising/donations/grants from sources including The National Lottery Community Fund and Quartet Community Foundation. Distribution is direct via LPW's own staff at LPW House, LPW Hubs, The Big Hideout, LPW School, and via community venue partnerships (St Nix Youth Club, Brimsham Youth Wing, Wick Village Hall, Horseworld, We The Curious, Mojo Active, The Pickle Factory) and two mobile youth buses — there is no reseller channel and no self-serve purchase.

Name

Learning Partnership West CIC

Legal name

Learning Partnership West CIC

Website

https://lpw.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Learning Partnership West CIC is a Bristol-based not-for-profit Community Interest Company delivering trauma-informed play, youth work, mentoring, alternative education and serious youth violence intervention for children and young people across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, funded by local-authority contracts, schools, grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Community Services (Alternative Education and Youth Work)

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAKAMAL

Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health Supports (School-Based)

SECONDARYEDAJAIAC

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs & Supports

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services (Counseling, Mental Health, SEL, Safeguarding)

SECONDARYEDAJAIAJ

Specialized Student Support (Foster/Homeless/Migrant/McKinney-Vento)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services (Counseling, Mental Health, SEL, Safeguarding)

SECONDARYEDAJAIAI

Attendance, Engagement & Truancy Intervention Services

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services (Counseling, Mental Health, SEL, Safeguarding)

Keywords

• Youth work services
• Alternative education provision
• Trauma-informed mentoring
• Community play work
• Serious youth violence intervention

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public funding and contracts: Not-for-profit Community Interest Company funded through external public sector grants and contracts (e.g., South Gloucestershire Youth Work Partnership Lot 2 contract) to deliver open-access play and youth work and targeted interventions.
2. School and agency fees for alternative provision: Schools and professional agencies fund LPW's part-time Education Recovery Project and full-time LPW School alternative provision through referral-based purchasing; additional charges may apply for EHCP needs.
3. Fundraising, donations, and grants: Individual donations, gifts in kind, corporate team-building days, and grants from funders such as The National Lottery Community Fund and Quartet Community Foundation support open-access play and youth work.
4. Training and CPD delivery (LPW Inspire): Paid training, workshops, and CPD (e.g., free 1-hour taster sessions plus full CPD offer) sold to schools, youth workers, and other professionals on topics such as trauma-informed practice, exploitation, and GRT cultural awareness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Learning Partnership West CIC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that delivers integrated children and young people's services across Bristol and South Gloucestershire, including open-access play and youth work, alternative education provision (part-time Education Recovery Project, full-time LPW School for ages 14-16, LPW College), 1:1 and group mentoring (Engage), specialist serious-youth-violence and child-criminal-exploitation intervention (LPW Changes), and training/CPD for schools and professionals (LPW Inspire). Services are trauma-informed, commissioned by schools and local authorities, and supported by grants, contracts and fundraising, with free open-access delivery for children, young people and families.

Product overview

Learning Partnership West CIC (LPW) is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company delivering a portfolio of integrated children and young people's services across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and surrounding areas. Rather than a single SaaS product, LPW's offering is a platform of community service modules built around a trauma-informed approach: the core delivery arms are LPW Play Work (anchored by The Big Hideout adventure playground in Hartcliffe), LPW Youth Work (open-access, detached, mobile-bus and targeted delivery), and LPW Education. Education is itself layered into the part-time Education Recovery Project (with Recovery Plus+ as the more intensive tier), the full-time LPW School for ages 14–16, and LPW College under a Head of LPW College. Cross-cutting programmes such as the Engage Mentoring Programme (1:1 and group mentoring), LPW Changes (anti-social behaviour, serious youth violence and child criminal exploitation), and LPW Inspire (training, CPD and workshops for schools and professionals) draw on the same engagement workforce and trauma-informed methodology. All modules are operationally linked through LPW House in Bristol, the referrals process via [email protected] and shared youth-voice governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LPW School: Full-time alternative learning provision for students aged 14 to 16 in Bristol, run by Learning Partnership West (separate website lpw-school.co.uk).
• The Big Hideout
• Engage
• LPW Changes
• LPW Inspire

Products and services

• The Big Hideout (Adventure Playground)

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduated alternative provision pathway demonstrably supporting transition back into mainstream education (referenced turnaround case at Soundwell Academy, GRT integration at May Park Primary School).
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Bristol City CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of the culturally competent GRT delivery model with Bristol City Council's GRT team. Commissioner for anti-social behaviour programmes. Co-delivers LPW Changes (serious youth violence). Named commissioner providing testimonial on the Serious Youth Violence page.
• South Gloucestershire CouncilflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLead commissioner and funder for South Gloucestershire Youth Work Partnership (Lot 2). Joint member of the South Gloucestershire Violence Reduction Partnership. Provides venues (Wick Village Hall) and co-funds detached youth work delivered via Urbie and Doris mobile youth buses.
• The Diversity TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-delivers a weekly LGBTQ+ youth session in Yate (South Gloucestershire) and collaborates on events such as South Gloucestershire Pride.
• Creative Youth Network (South Glos Youth Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the South Gloucestershire Youth Work Partnership delivering youth services; co-listed on LPW Partnerships page with National Lottery branding.
• Bristol Play & Youth Alliance (BP&YA) / Children & Young People's NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of voluntary-sector play and youth alliances in Bristol; shared careers-in-playwork and youth-work resources, and signposting to LPW on the childrenandyoungpeoplebristol.co.uk website.
• Wick and Abson Parish CouncilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal parish council supporting detached youth work delivery in Wick and surrounding rural communities.
• Yate Town CouncilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal town council supporting youth work delivery in Yate Town Centre and shopping centre.
• Sodbury Town CouncilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal town council supporting youth work delivery in the Sodbury area.
• South Gloucestershire Violence Reduction PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency partnership addressing serious youth violence in South Gloucestershire; LPW is a member organisation.
• University of BristolcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-developed LPW's evidence-based GRT delivery model (derived from a European study) used in Bristol play and youth sessions.
• HorseworldminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVenue partner delivering life-skills small group activities for Education Recovery Project students as part of active learning and confidence-building programmes.
• We The CuriousminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVenue partner for life-skills small group activities for Education Recovery Project students.
• Mojo ActiveminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerActivity venue partner for life-skills small group sessions for Education Recovery Project students.
• The Pickle FactoryminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerActivity venue partner for life-skills small group sessions for Education Recovery Project students.
• Duke of Edinburgh Award schememinorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLPW provides volunteering placements that contribute to young people's Duke of Edinburgh award requirements and gives feedback to schools/assessors.
• Bristol City Youth CouncilminorOthersCivic youth participation structure referenced on LPW's Youth Voice page to support young people's voice in Bristol.
• South Gloucestershire Youth AmbassadorsminorOthersCivic youth participation structure referenced on LPW's Youth Voice page for South Gloucestershire young people.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Large UK charity delivering alternative provision, social work, youth justice and violence reduction services including county lines programmes; directly comparable to LPW Changes and LPW Education Recovery Project but at national scale.
• UK Youth: National membership body for youth organisations in the UK, including funders of open-access youth work; comparable as a strategic/umbrella peer to LPW's youth work and training function, though operating at sector-support rather than direct-delivery level.
• National Youth Agency: Statutory-supported body for youth work in England, providing training, CPD and workforce standards; comparable to LPW Inspire's CPD and training role but at sector-policy and accreditation scale rather than as a single regional provider.
• OnSide Youth Zones: National network of youth centres providing open-access youth work, mentoring and personal development; shares LPW's youth work and play work mission but operates purpose-built facilities and a multi-region footprint.
• Mentor UK: National charity focused on mentoring for children and young people, especially around exploitation and violence; overlaps directly with LPW's Engage mentoring and LPW Changes serious youth violence programmes but operates at policy and umbrella level rather than direct delivery.

Direct peers

• Creative Youth Network: Bristol-based charity delivering youth work, creative programmes and detached engagement; co-listed with LPW in the South Gloucestershire Youth Work Partnership and a member of the same Bristol Play & Youth Alliance, directly comparable in service mix and geography.
• Youth Action: UK-wide youth work charity delivering detached youth work, mentoring and training; comparable to LPW in mission, delivery model and reliance on local authority grant funding, though operating across multiple cities.
• Soundwell Academy: Special/alternative education provider in South Gloucestershire referenced as a partner school receiving LPW Education Recovery Project referrals; comparable as a regional AP/SEMH alternative provision provider in the same catchment.

Emerging players

• The Prince's Trust: National charity supporting young people aged 11-30 into education, training and employment; overlaps with LPW's NEET, GRT and disengagement cohort work but from a broader employability and personal development angle rather than alternative provision.

Regional players

• Bristol Play & Youth Alliance: Voluntary-sector alliance of play and youth organisations across Bristol; LPW is a member and signposting partner, so the alliance and its member orgs share LPW's play work and youth work offering within the same Bristol geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LPWorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/lpw.bristol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/learning-partnership-west

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Learning Partnership West CIC