Carers First

What Carers First does

Carers First is a UK registered charity founded in 1991 that provides support services to unpaid carers across England. The organisation delivers its services through a hybrid model combining a nationwide digital self-service portal with localised face-to-face support in eight geographic areas (Croydon, Essex, Haringey, Lincolnshire, Medway, Merton, Southend-on-Sea, and Waltham Forest). Its core product is an online help and advice platform covering benefits, legal matters, carer's assessments, end-of-life care, working while caring, and condition-specific guidance, complemented by in-person programmes including peer support groups, the Caring Confidently four-week course, Working Wednesdays for employed carers, Male Carer Groups, and specialised young carer programmes.

The charity operates as a non-profit entity (registered charity 1085430, Company Limited by Guarantee 04144820) and is a network partner within the Carers Trust national directory. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue is generated through charitable donations, fundraising activities, corporate partnerships, trusts and foundations, and commissioned service contracts with local authorities, with Lincolnshire County Council representing the most significant commissioning relationship through the Lincolnshire Carers Service and Carer Wellbeing Hub.

The organisation has 101-250 employees and supports multiple beneficiary personas including general unpaid carers, young carers, parent carers, working carers, former carers, and condition-specific cohorts (dementia, mental health, physical disability, learning disability, autism, addiction, end of life). Distribution occurs through self-referral, professional referrals from healthcare, social services and schools, employer partnerships, and direct outreach via a multi-channel marketing approach including social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok), email newsletter, local media (BBC Radio Lincolnshire, BBC Radio Kent), and annual awareness campaigns such as Carers Week, Carers Rights Day, and Young Carers Action Day.

Name

Carers First

Legal name

Carers First

Website

https://carersfirst.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Carers First is a UK registered charity founded in 1991 that provides free support services to unpaid carers through an online advice portal and localised in-person programmes across eight English regions, funded by donations, local authority contracts, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unpaid Carer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Caregiver Support, Coaching & Training (HLADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Care Management & Care Coordination (Home & Community-Based) (HLAFAEAL)

Keywords

• Unpaid carer support
• Carer information advice
• Young carer services
• Local carer groups
• Charity wellbeing programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Strood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and fundraising: Carers First operates as a registered charity (1085430) and relies on donations, fundraising activities, and charitable contributions to fund its services for unpaid carers. The organization also receives support through corporate partnerships and trusts and foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Carers First is a UK charity that provides free information, advice, and personalized support to unpaid carers, combining a nationwide online help-and-advice portal with face-to-face local services in eight English regions. It runs dedicated programmes for young carers, working carers, former carers, and parent carers, plus structured courses such as the four-week Caring Confidently programme and the Virtual Wellbeing Programme. All services are delivered at no cost to the carer and are funded through donations, fundraising, grants, trusts and foundations, and partnerships with local authorities and employers.

Product overview

Carers First is a charity offering a unified support platform for unpaid carers, combining digital self-service resources with localized in-person services. The core offering consists of an Online Support portal providing comprehensive advice on topics spanning benefits, legal matters, health conditions, and practical care skills, complemented by personalized local services in eight geographic areas (Croydon, Essex, Haringey, Lincolnshire, Medway, Merton, Southend-on-Sea, and Waltham Forest). Supplementary programs include the Caring Confidently Programme (a four-week structured course), Virtual Wellbeing Programme (monthly Breathworks and EFT sessions), peer support groups, Working Wednesdays for employed carers, Male Carer Groups, and the Days Out Directory offering discounted access to attractions. Young carers receive dedicated support through specialized programs, school resources, and youth-specific groups. All services are connected through a newsletter and online community resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Support / Help and Advice Digital self-service information portal providing advice, guidance, and resources on topics including benefits support, carer's assessments, end of life care, everyday tasks, legal matters, financial support, and working while caring. Targeted at unpaid carers across the UK regardless of geography.
• Local Services Personalized face-to-face support, groups, events, and 1-to-1 guidance for unpaid carers in selected geographic areas including Croydon, Essex, Haringey, Lincolnshire, Medway, Merton, Southend-on-Sea, and Waltham Forest. Free to registered carers within those local authority areas.
• Young Carers Support Dedicated services for children and young people who regularly help care for a family member, including online advice, self-referral forms, the Young Carers School Pack, Young Adult Carer programmes, and dedicated support groups. Targeted at young carers and the educational settings that support them.
• Lincolnshire Carers Service Dedicated local service for unpaid carers in Lincolnshire, delivered in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council through the Carer Wellbeing Hub. Provides online information, personalised support, events, wellbeing activities, employment help, and benefit guidance, with a dedicated phone line at 01522 782 224.
• Caring Confidently Programme Four-week structured programme developed with and for carers, covering the caring role, self-care, finances and legal issues, and practical support skills including first aid and manual handling. Available to registered carers in the Lincolnshire service area.
• Virtual Wellbeing Programme Monthly sessions combining Breathworks and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping delivered via Zoom, designed to help carers manage stress and build emotional resilience. Open to unpaid carers regardless of location.
• Working Wednesdays Online peer support group for unpaid carers who are in paid employment, run in the evenings with monthly themes addressing the challenges of juggling caring responsibilities with work. Targeted at working carers, often referred via the Lincolnshire service.
• Moving On Staying Together Peer support group for former carers whose caring role has ended, providing opportunities to stay connected with others in similar circumstances and access ongoing support. Delivered online.
• Carers and Hospital Discharge Toolkit Resource toolkit published by Carers First for healthcare and social care professionals to support carers through the hospital discharge process and embed carer identification into routine practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Support for 70,385+ carers in Lincolnshire alone
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Carers TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers First is a Carers Trust Network Partner, operating as part of the Carers Trust's national network of carer support services. This partnership provides visibility in the Carers Trust directory for carers seeking local support and connects Carers First with broader national carer advocacy efforts.
• Lincolnshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the Lincolnshire Carers Service through the Carer Wellbeing Hub. Lincolnshire County Council funds and coordinates with Carers First to provide local support services for carers in Lincolnshire.
• Amazing MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative studio partnership to develop 'A Story for Young Carers', an animated film for children aged 7-12 to help them understand caring and know where to find support. Developed in collaboration with local children in Medway.
• Local Authorities (Croydon, Essex, Haringey, Medway, Merton, Southend-on-Sea, Waltham Forest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with multiple local authorities across England to provide local carer support services, groups, and personalized support in specific geographic areas.
• Employers (Corporate Partners)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership program where employers partner with Carers First to ensure their employees who are carers receive support and don't have to choose between working and caring.
• Healthcare Professionals and ProvidersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral pathways established with healthcare professionals and providers to identify carers and connect them with Carers First support services.
• Educational SettingsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with schools and colleges to support young carers, including the Young Carers School Pack and identification programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity providing financial, practical, and emotional support including to family members caring for cancer patients. Comparable because Carers First supports cancer carers (Michelle testimonial) and the practical/financial advice function overlaps.
• Marie Curie: UK charity supporting people with terminal illness and their family carers through information, support, and palliative care. Comparable because Carers First explicitly offers End of Life caring advice and supports palliative carers (Crystal testimonial).
• Mind: UK mental-health charity providing information, peer support, and local services. Comparable because Carers First serves carers of people with mental health conditions and offers mental wellbeing programmes (Virtual Breathworks, mindfulness, emotional resilience).
• Alzheimer's Society: UK charity focused on dementia and the family carers of people with dementia. Comparable because Carers First explicitly serves dementia carers (Jacob, Steve testimonials) and condition-specific resources overlap.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting conditions and their family carers, providing advice, advocacy, and respite support. Comparable because it serves the same family-carer population for highly complex paediatric care needs, which intersects with Carers First's parent-carer and end-of-life segments.
• Rethink Mental Illness: UK charity supporting people affected by mental illness and their family carers. Comparable because it runs information/advice services, peer-support groups, and condition-specific resources for family carers of people with mental illness — directly overlapping with Carers First's mental-health-carer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Age UK: Largest UK charity for older people, providing advice, local services, and information including support for older carers and those they care for. Comparable because it serves overlapping beneficiaries (elderly, family carers) and uses a hybrid national-online + local-branch model.
• Carers UK: National membership charity and advocacy body for unpaid carers across the UK. Directly comparable because it serves the same beneficiary population (unpaid carers), provides information/advice, and runs the workplace-carer agenda that Carers First also pursues.
• Carers Trust: UK-wide network of independent carer-support charities. Carers First is itself a Carers Trust Network Partner; Carers Trust is directly comparable as the umbrella and most comparable national peer for service-delivery model.

Direct peers

• Family Action: UK charity supporting families through practical, emotional, and financial support services. Comparable because it provides similar hybrid online + local-services support for families and unpaid carers, often via local-authority commissioned contracts.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Carers_first
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9IqBo0wuH_3c8isEHHd4wA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarersFirst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carers-first
• Instagraminstagram.com/CarersFIRST
• TikToktiktok.com/@carersfirst

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 Carers First