By the Bridge

What By the Bridge does

By the Bridge is an independent fostering provider specialising in therapeutic foster care for looked-after children and young people across England. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Potters Bar, the company operates as By the Bridge Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CareTech Holdings plc (LSE: CTH) following its 2015 acquisition by the Cambian Group and the July 2016 consolidation of Cambian Foster Care into the entity under the 'By the Bridge with Cambian' brand. The company serves children referred by English Local Authorities and delivers its service through a network of recruited, trained, and supervised foster parents supported from eight regional offices spanning Yorkshire, West Midlands, East Midlands, Thames Valley, North West, South East, Essex, and Norfolk. The agency holds an OFSTED Outstanding rating in all five inspection areas.

The company's core product is its Therapeutic Fostering service, a differentiated care model that places foster parents and children at the centre of a multi-disciplinary team including supervising social workers, regional therapeutic managers, education advisors (EAGALs), and a dedicated 24/7 Out of Hours support line. Supplementary offerings include the MyZone digital platform — a secure online portal providing age-appropriate guides, videos, and resources for children in care — alongside specialised fostering types covering emergency placements, respite fostering (21 nights annually), and parent-and-child fostering. The Grow, Achieve, Learn educational programme delivers structured social and life-skills development alongside therapeutic care. The Therapeutic Fostering methodology has been refined over more than 20 years of operation and is supported by dedicated Therapeutic Parenting and Therapeutic Thinking training programmes.

Revenue is generated via managed-services contracts with Local Authorities, who fund therapeutic foster placements for looked-after children in their care. Foster parents are compensated through weekly tax-free allowances averaging approximately £450 per child, supplemented by non-financial benefits including 24/7 support, ongoing therapeutic training, 21 nights respite, exclusive discounts, and career development pathways. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and multi-channel: prospective foster parents are recruited directly via the company website, radio advertising, regional Facebook pages, information evenings, and community events, while Local Authority referrals flow in through established commissioning relationships. Differentiation rests on the proprietary therapeutic model, the OFSTED Outstanding rating, and the regional support infrastructure, with CareTech providing parent-level backing.

Name

By the Bridge

Legal name

By the Bridge Ltd

Website

https://bythebridge.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

By the Bridge is a UK-based independent fostering provider specialising in therapeutic foster care for looked-after children referred by English Local Authorities, operating from eight regional offices as a wholly-owned subsidiary of CareTech Holdings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Therapeutic fostering services
• Foster care agency
• Children in care
• Independent fostering provider
• Local authority placements

Headquarters

HQ city

Sittingbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foster Parent Allowances and Support: By the Bridge provides fostering services by recruiting, training, and supporting foster parents who care for children placed by local authorities. The agency receives funding from local authorities and pays competitive allowances to foster parents, with additional support benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

By the Bridge recruits, trains, and supports foster parents across England to provide therapeutic foster care for children and young people placed by local authorities. Services include standard long-term placements, emergency fostering, respite fostering, and parent-and-child placements, delivered through a Therapeutic Fostering Model that places foster parents and children at the centre of a multi-disciplinary support team. Foster parents receive weekly allowances, 24/7 support, ongoing training, and 21 nights of respite, while the agency receives funding from local authorities for placements.

Product overview

By the Bridge is a therapeutic fostering agency offering a unified service centred on its Therapeutic Fostering approach. The core product is therapeutic fostering placement services, supported by supplementary offerings including MyZone (an online portal for children), the Grow Achieve Learn educational programme, and various fostering types (emergency, respite, parent and child). Foster parents receive benefits including competitive pay, 24/7 support, and training through the Benefits programme. The company operates across multiple UK regions with local branch offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Outstanding OFSTED rating in all five areas
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• De Montfort UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between By the Bridge and De Montfort University for collaborative initiatives.
• Prince's TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBy the Bridge with Cambian and Prince's Trust announced a new partnership to support young people.
• Children's UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBy the Bridge with Cambian partners with the Children's University to encourage and inspire young people in care.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: Large UK children's services charity operating fostering, residential, and family support services. Comparable in foster care delivery but broader in scope, with greater scale and diversification.

Direct peers

• Polaris Community Services: Independent UK fostering agency providing therapeutic placements for looked-after children. Comparable in scale, service model, and Local Authority channel.
• Foster Care Associates: One of the largest independent fostering providers in the UK, offering therapeutic and mainstream foster placements across England and Wales. Highly comparable to By the Bridge in service mix, Local Authority referral model, and geographic reach.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): Large UK charity providing fostering and adoption services, with a focus on looked-after children and therapeutic placements. Comparable in mission, target populations, and Local Authority commissioning channels.
• Fostering Solutions: Independent fostering agency operating across the UK, providing mainstream and therapeutic placements. Direct competitor in the Local Authority commissioned fostering market.
• Capstone Foster Care: Independent fostering provider operating across England, offering therapeutic and specialist foster placements. Comparable in operating model, target population, and reliance on Local Authority referrals.
• Five Rivers Child Care: UK independent fostering and children's services provider. Competes in the same therapeutic fostering space with multi-region coverage and Local Authority partnerships.
• Compass Fostering: Independent UK fostering agency providing therapeutic and mainstream placements across multiple regions. Direct competitor with similar recruitment-led GTM and Local Authority referral model.
• Caldicott Fostering: Mid-sized UK independent fostering provider with therapeutic offerings. Similar to By the Bridge in operating model and target population, though typically smaller in scale.
• National Fostering Group: Major UK independent fostering provider formed via roll-up of regional IFAs (formerly Excel Fostering). Operates a comparable multi-region foster placement model with therapeutic offerings, competing directly for Local Authority contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BytheBridgeCambian
• Xx.com/BtB_with_CFC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/by-the-bridge

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 By the Bridge