National Children's Bureau

What National Children's Bureau does

National Children's Bureau (NCB) is a UK charitable company limited by guarantee (Charity No. 258825; Company No. 952717), founded in 1963 and headquartered in London, that operates a coalition of six specialist networks — the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Childhood Bereavement Network, Council for Disabled Children, Research in Practice, Schools Wellbeing Partnership, and Working Together with Parents Network — alongside practice programmes in early years, education, mental health, and social care. Its functional capability centres on evidence generation, policy influencing, workforce development, and the direct participation of children and young people in decisions affecting them, delivered through methodologies such as Outcomes Based Accountability and research with children.

NCB generates revenue from five streams: tiered membership fees across its networks (e.g., £20–£120 per year), grants and commissioned government work from bodies including the Department for Education, the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and the Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), individual donations and legacies (noting only 2% of income is genuinely unrestricted), training/consultancy/events (including SEND e-learning and early-years programmes), and one-off resource/publication sales. Its 2024–2029 strategy 'Building Brighter Futures' defines six goals spanning voice amplification, systems change at local and national levels, evidence generation, workforce capacity, and trust-building.

Name

National Children's Bureau

Legal name

National Children's Bureau

Website

https://ncb.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

National Children's Bureau is a UK charity operating a coalition of six specialist children's-sector networks — including the Anti-Bullying Alliance and Council for Disabled Children — funded by membership fees, government grants, donations, and training, delivering research, policy influence, and practitioner development across England and Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: NCB and its family of networks (Anti-Bullying Alliance, Council for Disabled Children, Childhood Bereavement Network, Research in Practice, Schools Wellbeing Partnership, Working Together with Parents Network) generate revenue through tiered membership programmes. Fees range from £20 per year for individual CBN membership to £120 per year for Core organisational membership of the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
2. Grants and commissioned government work: NCB receives grant funding from government bodies including the Department for Education, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), and the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) to deliver research, evaluation, and programme work. Recently secured a £3.5m five-year programme funded by The UK Fund to support children and young people with lived experience of poverty.
3. Individual donations and legacies: NCB generates income through individual supporter donations, payroll giving, JustGiving one-off or monthly donations, and legacy gifts. The organisation notes that just 2% of its income last year came from genuinely unrestricted gifts and legacies.
4. Training, consultancy and events: NCB generates revenue through professional training programmes, consultancy services, and events. This includes SEND e-learning, early years training and consultancy, and professional development offerings through Research in Practice.
5. Resource and publication sales: NCB sells resources through its shop, including bereavement support materials (e.g., 'You'll always remember them' film at £17.50, 'Stepping Stones' postcards at £9.00).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NCB is a UK charity and membership organisation that convenes the children's sector to improve outcomes for children and young people. It operates a family of six specialist networks (Anti-Bullying Alliance, Childhood Bereavement Network, Council for Disabled Children, Research in Practice, Schools Wellbeing Partnership, Working Together with Parents Network) delivering tiered membership programmes, training, consultancy, events, and commissioned research. It also runs practice programmes in early childhood, mental health, and SEND, and sells publications and resources through its shop.

Product overview

National Children's Bureau (NCB) operates as a coalition of organisations united to improve childhoods across the UK. The organisation provides a coordinated portfolio of membership networks (Anti-Bullying Alliance, Childhood Bereavement Network, Council for Disabled Children, Research in Practice, Schools Wellbeing Partnership, Working Together with Parents Network) alongside practice programmes in early years, education, health, and social care. Additional offerings include training and consultancy services, resources and publications, and policy influencing through the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children. NCB connects over 300 voluntary and community organisations and spans early years, health, education and social care workforce sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Anti-Bullying Alliance: A unique coalition of organisations and individuals working together to stop bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. Runs Anti-Bullying Week reaching 7.5 million children.
• Childhood Bereavement Network
• Council for Disabled Children
• Research in Practice
• Schools Wellbeing Partnership
• Working Together with Parents Network

Products and services

• Anti-Bullying Alliance A coalition of organisations and individuals working together to stop bullying and create safer environments for children and young people. Runs Anti-Bullying Week reaching 7.5 million UK children with 80% school participation. Offers tiered membership programmes (School/College £108, Core £120, Associate £72 per year).
• Childhood Bereavement Network The hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK, providing essential support, representation, and resources. Offers individual membership (£20/year), organisational small (£50), organisational large (£90), additional address (£10), and resource sales (e.g., £17.50 film, £9.00 postcards).
• Council for Disabled Children Umbrella body for the disabled children's sector with over 300 voluntary and community organisation members. Operates networks focusing on SEND, including Information Advice and Support Services Network (IASSN, funded by the Department for Education), Making Ourselves Heard, Special Educational Consortium, and Transition Information Network.
• Research in Practice Provides evidence-informed resources, learning opportunities, programmes and specialist expertise to professionals in social care, health, criminal justice and higher education sectors. Partner network includes over 220 local, national and voluntary organisations and universities across England.
• Schools Wellbeing Partnership National network of nearly 50 member organisations from education, health and wellbeing, and children's sectors working to improve the wellbeing of all children in education through whole school approaches to mental health.
• Working Together with Parents Network Free-to-join membership organisation supporting professionals working with parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties and their children. UK-wide network engaging with adult and children's social care, education, health, and advocacy sectors.
• Early Childhood Unit Programme delivering Making it REAL, Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs, Healthy Early Years and Healthy Schools London, and Natural Thinkers to support early childhood development. Runs Knowledge Makes Change seminars for the early years workforce.
• Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind (AMHDM) Comprehensive programme focusing on adverse childhood experiences, care experience, digital risk and resilience, loneliness, neurodiversity, and school and university mental health with major research and methodological programmes.
• Wellbeing Award for Schools Accreditation programme for schools implementing whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing.
• HeadStart Mental health programme for schools and communities including cross-systems working, participation and co-production, workforce development, and support for vulnerable young people.
• Training, Consultancy and Events Professional development and training services including SEND e-learning and early years training and consultancy for practitioners across education, health and social care sectors.
• Resources and Publications Extensive library of reports, research publications, briefings, consultation responses and resources covering early years, education, health, social care, mental health and policy influencing. Sold via the NCB shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 115,261 children benefited with improved communication skills and stronger community links through PEACE IV Shared Education
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Youth AccesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NCB in Northern Ireland partnered with Youth Access as part of the Our Minds Our Future programme to put young people's voices at the centre of mental health service design and delivery across the UK. Youth Access is a UK-wide young people's information and advice charity.
• Scottish Youth ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the Our Minds Our Future programme working to ensure young people's voices shape mental health service design across the UK nations.
• SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the Our Minds Our Future programme working to ensure young people's voices shape mental health service design across the UK nations.
• ProMo CymruminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the Our Minds Our Future programme focused on mental health service improvement for young people across the UK.
• HafalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the Our Minds Our Future programme focused on mental health service improvement for young people across the UK.
• SJC ConsultancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCB partnered with SJC Consultancy to undertake the impact evaluation of PEACE IV Shared Education, commissioned by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). SJC Consultancy provides expert advisory services on Shared Education alongside NCB and Queen's University Belfast.
• Queen's University BelfastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCB partnered with Queen's University Belfast (specifically the Centre for Shared Education) alongside SJC Consultancy for the five-year longitudinal evaluation of the Limavady Shared Education Campus. The university provides quantitative and qualitative evaluation expertise.
• Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)coreOthersSEUPB commissioned NCB, alongside SJC Consultancy and Queen's University Belfast, to conduct the impact evaluation of the PEACE IV Shared Education Programme. The programme benefits children, schools and teachers across Northern Ireland and Border Counties of Ireland.
• Early Years – the organisation for young childrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly Years – the organisation for young children is a delivery partner in the Sharing from the Start (SFTS) project under PEACE IV Shared Education, working with NCB and other partners.
• National Childhood Network (NCN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Childhood Network (NCN) is a delivery partner in the Sharing from the Start (SFTS) project under PEACE IV Shared Education.
• The Fermanagh TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fermanagh Trust is a delivery partner in the Sharing from the Start (SFTS) project under PEACE IV Shared Education.
• Education AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Education Authority is a delivery partner in the Collaboration and Sharing in Education (CASE) project under PEACE IV Shared Education.
• LéargasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLéargas is a delivery partner in the Collaboration and Sharing in Education (CASE) project under PEACE IV Shared Education.
• Department for Education (DfE)coreOthersThe DfE funds the Information, Advice and Support Services Network (IASSN) within the Council for Disabled Children and commissions other NCB work on SEND reforms, anti-bullying, and children's social care.
• Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland)coreOthersThe Public Health Agency funds NCB's early years work in Northern Ireland, focusing on infant mental health and the delivery of Incredible Years Parent Programmes.
• University of KentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCB collaborated with Professor Julie Anderson, Dr Emily Bartlett and Dr Eilis Boyle from the University of Kent to create an interactive online timeline documenting 60 years of the organisation's work.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Carers Trust: UK charity and membership network supporting unpaid carers, including young carers — comparable to NCB's network/membership model and focus on children and families with additional needs.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, running direct services for children alongside policy influencing and campaigning — directly comparable to NCB's combination of programme delivery and national advocacy.
• Action for Children: UK children's charity delivering direct services, research, and policy work on disadvantaged children and families — a directly comparable peer in scope and operating model.
• The Children's Society: UK charity supporting vulnerable children and young people through direct services, research, and campaigning — highly comparable to NCB in mission, advocacy posture, and policy engagement.
• NSPCC: The UK's leading children's charity focused on preventing abuse and supporting children, with comparable advocacy, policy influencing, training, and membership-style supporter base across the UK children's sector.

Broad incumbents

• Mind: Major UK mental health charity with comparable schools-based wellbeing programmes, workforce training, and policy influence — overlaps with NCB on mental health training and workplace wellbeing.
• Save the Children UK: A much larger UK and global children's charity combining advocacy, programmes, and membership-style fundraising — comparable in advocacy and child-rights focus, but with broader international scope than NCB.

Emerging players

• Family Fund: UK charity supporting disabled and seriously ill children and their families — directly overlaps with NCB's Council for Disabled Children work on SEND and disability services.
• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, overlapping with NCB's Schools Wellbeing Partnership and AMHDM programme on adolescent mental health and school-based support.

Others

• Children in Need (BBC): BBC's flagship UK children's charity grant-maker funding disadvantaged children and young people — adjacent to NCB's grant-funder ecosystem and overlapping beneficiary populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WatchNCB
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncbfb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-children%27s-bureau
• Xx.com/ncbtweets

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles35 records

Subsidiaries6 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 National Children's Bureau