Befriend A Child
Befriend a Child is a registered Scottish charity (since 1975) headquartered in Aberdeen that provides one-to-one befriending, mentoring, and youth programmes for children aged 5–18 in difficult life circumstances across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, funded through donations, corporate partnerships, and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersAberdeen, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Befriend A Child does
Befriend a Child is a registered Scottish charity (SC005467), founded in 1975 and headquartered at 9 Bon-Accord Square, Aberdeen, that operates one-to-one befriending, mentoring, youth club, and family support programmes for children and young people aged 5–18 growing up in difficult circumstances across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Its core 'products' are service programmes rather than technology: a Befriending Programme (1:1 matching of volunteer befrienders with children aged 5–15), the intandem Mentoring Programme for looked-after children aged 7–15, a Transition Project, Youth Clubs and group activities, and a Family Support service. The charity reports supporting 255 children with 139 accepted referrals in its most recent disclosed year, and 324 volunteers are active across befriending, mentoring, playscheme, youth club, and playzone roles.
The underlying technology stack is minimal and administrative. The only digital platform disclosed is a Volunteer Portal — built around facility booking, monthly reporting, expense submission, and leisure-partner access — running on a third-party identity management service (altruisticidentity.com). There are no mobile apps, no APIs, no AI/ML components, and no proprietary data products; product management is in WordPress-based web publishing. Distribution runs through a referral-based intake model with social work providing 42% of referrals, education 39%, third sector partners 13%, and healthcare 2%, supplemented by direct volunteer recruitment.
The business model is that of a UK regional non-profit. The charity does not charge beneficiaries — services are free — and instead derives income from individual donations, regular giving, fundraising events (Music Quiz Night, Charity Golf Day, Ladies' Charity Golf Day), sponsored events, corporate charity-of-the-year partnerships, school/YPI partnerships under the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, and legacy giving. Income is not publicly disclosed; named incoming grants include a £5,000 Movement for Good (Benefact Group) award and a Barcapel Foundation grant. With 11–50 employees and a small named leadership team (CEO Sarah Misra, Head of Operations Susanne McMenemy, Mentoring contact Olivia Polak), the organization is operationally modest and locally embedded.
Befriend A Child firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Befriend A Child
- Legal name
- Befriend a Child
- Website
- https://befriendachild.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Befriend a Child is a registered Scottish charity (since 1975) headquartered in Aberdeen that provides one-to-one befriending, mentoring, and youth programmes for children aged 5–18 in difficult life circumstances across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, funded through donations, corporate partnerships, and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Befriend A Child industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Mentoring and Befriending Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)
Keywords
Where Befriend A Child is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aberdeen
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Befriend A Child business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, regular giving, fundraising challenges, event attendance, and workplace charity of the year nominations
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate fundraising partnerships, charity of the year nominations, workplace giving programmes
- Legacy Giving: Bequests and legacies left in wills to support children and young people across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
- Schools/YPI: Partnerships with schools through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Befriend A Child product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Befriend A Child is a registered Scottish charity (SC005467) founded in 1975 that delivers one-to-one befriending and mentoring services for children and young people aged 5–15 in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire who face difficult life circumstances. Services are provided free of charge and delivered by trained volunteer adults who are matched with a child and supported by charity coordinators, with revenue sourced from donations, fundraising, corporate partnerships, and grants.
Product overview
Befriend a Child operates as a single integrated charity service rather than a platform product. The organization offers a portfolio of face-to-face support programmes centered on befriending and mentoring services for children aged 5-15 in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The core offerings include the Befriending Programme (1:1 matching with volunteer befrienders), the Intandem Mentoring Programme (for looked-after children aged 7-15), and Youth Clubs/Group Activities. Supporting services include Family Support, Referral Services, and Fundraising Services. The organization also provides a Volunteer Portal for volunteer management. No AI, API, or technical product integrations are offered as this is a charitable service organization focused on human-delivered support programmes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Befriending Programme
Quantifiable outcome
- Befriend a Child supported 255 children with 139 referrals accepted and 324 volunteers providing support
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Befriend A Child
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Befriend A Child technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Befriend A Child partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Befriend A Child competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, providing fostering, mentoring, family support, and advocacy services nationwide. Overlaps substantively with Befriend a Child's mission and beneficiary group but operates at national scale with a much broader service portfolio.
- Catch22: UK social business running mentoring, youth justice, and education programmes for vulnerable young people. Overlaps with Befriend a Child's mentoring and youth club offerings but operates across multiple service lines nationally.
- Action for Children: UK-wide children's charity delivering fostering, family support, and youth services, including mentoring and befriending elements. Comparable in mission and beneficiary group but a much larger, national incumbent with statutory contracts.
- The Children's Society: National UK charity supporting disadvantaged children through mentoring, advocacy, and direct services, including programmes for looked-after children comparable to intandem. Operates as a much larger incumbent with a national service footprint.
- NSPCC: UK's leading child protection charity, running direct services, helplines and therapeutic programmes for children, including some mentoring and befriending. Comparable in safeguarding-led children's services but operates as a national incumbent at much greater scale.
Direct peers
- Children 1st: Scotland's national children's charity, delivering family support, mentoring and safeguarding services across the country. Direct comparable as a Scotland-based children's charity with a similar befriending, mentoring and family support portfolio, and overlapping referral relationships with social work and education.
- Quarriers: Scottish charity offering a wide range of social care, family support, and children's services. Comparable in being a Scotland-based nonprofit delivering support to children, young people and families via similar referral and community-based delivery models.
- Reclaim (Reclaim Project): UK charity providing mentoring and group programmes for looked-after children and young people in care, including in Scotland. Direct comparable to the intandem programme serving looked-after children aged 7-15.
- Aberlour Children's Charity: Scottish charity providing intensive family support, mentoring, and residential services for vulnerable children and families. Highly comparable service mix (mentoring, family support, group activities) and shared Scottish operating context, statutory funding relationships, and referral pathways.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters UK: UK mentoring charity focused on 1:1 mentoring matches between adult volunteers and young people facing adversity. Closest direct comparable on the core befriending/mentoring model, volunteer matching infrastructure, and outcome measurement for at-risk children.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Befriend A Child social profiles
Digital presenceBefriend A Child financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Befriend A Child leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Befriend A Child funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Befriend A Child 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 Befriend A Child
What does Befriend A Child do?
Befriend A Child is a registered Scottish charity (SC005467) founded in 1975 that delivers one-to-one befriending and mentoring services for children and young people aged 5–15 in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire who face difficult life circumstances. Services are provided free of charge and delivered by trained volunteer adults who are matched with a child and supported by charity coordinators, with revenue sourced from donations, fundraising, corporate partnerships, and grants.
Is Befriend A Child a public or private company?
Befriend A Child is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Befriend A Child founded?
Befriend A Child was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Befriend A Child based?
Befriend A Child is headquartered in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Befriend A Child make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, legacy Giving and schools/YPI.
Who are Befriend A Child's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Barnardo's, Catch22, Action for Children, The Children's Society and NSPCC. Direct peers are Children 1st, Quarriers, Reclaim (Reclaim Project), Aberlour Children's Charity and Big Brothers Big Sisters UK.
Does Befriend A Child have an API?
No public API is recorded for Befriend A Child.
What industry is Befriend A Child in?
Befriend A Child's product category is Youth Mentoring and Befriending Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAD, Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAJALAL, Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs. Its NAICS code is 624110 and its SIC code is 8300.