What Quarriers does

Quarriers is a registered Scottish charity (No. SC001960) founded in 1871 by William Quarrier and headquartered in Glasgow, with its historic Quarriers Village in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire. It operates more than 100 social care services across 17 Scottish council areas, supporting over 5,000 adults, children, and families annually — including adults with disabilities (supported living, residential care, short breaks/respite), children with disabilities (short breaks, advocacy), unpaid carers (advice, emotional support, training), people affected by epilepsy (William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre and community outreach), young people facing homelessness, people in recovery from drug and alcohol dependency, and families in need.

Its core offering is commissioned social care delivery rather than a technology product, supported by a small but growing digital surface that includes the Virtual Carers Centre online hub, a carers chat facility, an online Epilepsy Self-Management Toolkit, and a Service Finder tool. Notable technical infrastructure includes the dedicated William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre, which has adopted computer-vision analysis of EEG scans to support diagnosis, and the Quarriers Academy for staff training and professional development.

Quarriers' revenue model combines government and HSCP commissioning (the majority of income) with charitable donations, community fundraising (e.g., Kiltwalk, Festival of Choirs, firewalk events), corporate partnerships, and self-directed support payments from individual care budgets. The charity has no shareholders, is governed by a Board of Directors led by CEO Dr Ron Culley, and has been through a 2023 rebrand (first in over 20 years) to modernise its visual identity. Financial results are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Quarriers

Legal name

Quarriers

Website

https://quarriers.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1871

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Quarriers is a Scottish social care charity founded in 1871 that operates 100+ services across 17 council areas, supporting 5,000+ adults, children, and families annually through supported living, respite, carer support, epilepsy services, and youth homelessness programmes, funded primarily by local authority commissioning and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Social care services
• Supported living
• Unpaid carer support
• Residential disability care
• Epilepsy neurology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bridge Of Weir

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Local Authority Commissioning: Quarriers receives funding from local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) across Scotland to deliver commissioned social care services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, corporate partners, and community fundraising activities support Quarriers' operations and service delivery.
3. Self-Directed Support: Families with self-directed support funding can directly purchase Quarriers' services, providing another revenue stream from personal care budgets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Quarriers is a Scottish social care charity delivering practical care and support services for vulnerable children, adults with disabilities, families, and unpaid carers across 17 council areas. Its portfolio spans supported living, residential care, respite/short breaks, unpaid carer support, epilepsy and neurology diagnosis, drug and alcohol recovery, foster and kinship care, youth homelessness, family support, and children's rights advocacy. Services are funded primarily through local authority and HSCP commissioning contracts, supplemented by self-directed support payments, donations, and fundraising.

Product overview

Quarriers operates as one of Scotland's largest social care charities with a portfolio of 100+ services across 17 council areas. The organization provides a comprehensive range of social care services organized into distinct service lines: Supported Living Services (18 regional services enabling independent living for adults with disabilities); Unpaid Carer Support Services including the Virtual Carers Centre digital platform; Short Breaks/Respite for Children and Adults (including Countryview, Dunn Street, Mavisbank, and Riverview services); Residential Care for Adults; Children's Rights and Mentoring (including Falkirk and Moray services); Drug and Alcohol Recovery (including Arrows Service); Epilepsy and Neurology services including the William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre; Family Support; Foster and Kinship Care; Youth Homelessness services including WHAT IF; Head Injury Services; and mental health Resilience for Wellbeing Services. Supporting infrastructure includes the Service Finder digital tool, Quarriers Academy for staff training, and a Conference Centre facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Virtual Carers Centre: A hub of information and resources for carers of all ages, created in collaboration with carers
• Quarriers Village
• William Quarriers Scottish Epilepsy Centre
• Quarriers Academy
• Quarriers Festival of Choirs

Products and services

• Supported Living Services A network of supported living services enabling adults with disabilities to live independently in their own homes or shared living environments across Scotland, with 18 regional services including ABC, Clydeside, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, Fife, Glasgow Connect, Homelife Ayr, Homelife Girvan, Johnstone & Paisley, Lyssenmore, Mearns View, North Lanarkshire, Quarriers Village, Renfrewshire, and SOLE.
• Support for Unpaid Carers Advice, information, emotional support, short breaks and training for unpaid carers of all ages in Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway, Aberdeen, Moray and across the north east of Scotland.
• Virtual Carers Centre Online hub of information and resources for carers of all ages, co-created with carers, providing digital access to support services, advice and a chat facility launched in March 2023.
• Short Breaks / Respite for Children Short break facilities giving children with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy breaks from routine, with access to sensory rooms, while providing families and carers time to themselves.
• Countryview Short Breaks / Respite Service Fully accessible, purpose-built bungalow in Quarriers Village, Bridge of Weir, providing regular short break care to families caring for children aged 5-18 years with learning disabilities.
• Short Breaks / Respite for Adults Short break care offering adults with disabilities a change from routine and giving families or carers a break from their caring role, with flexible options including residential stays and community activities.
• Riverview Short Breaks / Respite Service Flexible respite service for adults aged 18-65 with disabilities in Quarriers Village, Bridge of Weir, with wheelchair-adapted vehicles and sensory rooms.
• Residential Care for Adults Specialised care homes providing 24-hour care for people with complex disabilities, located in Quarriers Village, Bridge of Weir.
• Children's Rights / Support and Mentoring Services supporting young people to understand their rights, address mental health needs, engage with education, and benefit from working with a mentor, including the Falkirk and Moray Children's Rights Services.
• Falkirk Children's Rights Service Service helping children and young people know about their rights and supporting them to have their voice heard on matters important to them, including advocacy at hearings.
• Moray Children's Rights Service Service empowering children and young people to participate in decisions that affect their lives, promoting, protecting and upholding their rights.
• Drug and Alcohol Recovery Supporting people recovering from drug and alcohol dependency to find stability and structure, including the Arrows Service in Moray.
• Arrows Drug and Alcohol Support Service Drug and alcohol support service in Moray offering a listening ear, advice, one-to-one and peer group support, SMART Recovery, Art Therapy, needle exchange and blood borne virus testing.
• Epilepsy and Neurology
• Family Support Personalised support services for families including parent support groups, health and wellbeing workshops and activity groups for children.
• Foster & Kinship Care and Shared Lives Services Specialised services providing family environments for children, young people and adults who need fostering, kinship care or shared lives placements.
• Youth Homelessness Services supporting young people facing homelessness, including the WHAT IF Female Service helping prepare young women for independent living and tenancies.
• Renfrewshire Head Injury Service Specialised service supporting people aged 16-65 with acquired brain injuries, offering one-to-one and group support, Recovering Minds sessions, Sunshine Club, and family support groups.
• Borders Resilience for Wellbeing Service Mental health and wellbeing service supporting young people aged 16-21 in the Scottish Borders through school-based practitioners and rugby community outreach.
• Self-Directed Support Services supporting individuals to have choice and control over their care through self-directed support arrangements, allowing families with direct payments to choose Quarriers services.
• Inclusion Services Services promoting inclusion and participation for people with disabilities in their local communities.
• Aftercare Services Ongoing support services for individuals after initial care periods.
• Service Finder Online search tool allowing users to find appropriate Quarriers services based on location and service type across Scotland.
• Epilepsy Self-Management Toolkit Online self-management resource launched in March 2025 to support people living with epilepsy to manage their condition.
• Chat Facility for Unpaid Carers Online chat facility launched within the Virtual Carers Centre in March 2023 to provide an additional communication channel for unpaid carers.
• Quarriers Academy Staff training and professional development academy offering learning resources, personal growth opportunities, and qualifications for social care professionals working at Quarriers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ people supported annually across Scotland
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Carers TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuarriers is a Network Partner of Carers Trust. The partnership involves Quarriers' carers services being part of the Carers Trust network, receiving the Excellence for Carers accreditation and collaborating on improving lives of carers across the UK.
• Aberdeen City CouncilcoreOthersAberdeen City Council funds Quarriers Aberdeen Carers Support Service as part of commissioned social care provision.
• Glasgow City CouncilcoreOthersGlasgow City Council funds Quarriers Glasgow North West Carers Service as part of the Glasgow City Carers Partnership.
• Dumfries and Galloway CouncilcoreOthersDumfries and Galloway Council commissions Quarriers D&G Parent Carers Support Service.
• Moray CouncilcoreOthersMoray Council commissions Quarriers Carer Support Service (Moray).
• Aberdeen Health and Social Care PartnershipcoreOthersAHSCP funds and collaborates with Quarriers Aberdeen Carers Support Service.
• Health and Social Care MoraycoreOthersHSC Moray collaborates with Quarriers Moray Carers Support Service.
• Shared Care ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShared Care Scotland partners with Quarriers to support unpaid carers access short breaks and respite.
• NHS BorderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS Borders works in partnership with Quarriers Borders Resilience for Wellbeing Service and the Wellbeing Service Team.
• Scottish RugbyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Rugby collaborates with Quarriers Borders Resilience for Wellbeing Service to deliver mental health awareness in rugby environments.
• Dumfries and Galloway CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDumfries and Galloway College's Stranraer campus partnered with Quarriers to provide pamper days for unpaid carers, with beauty therapy and hospitality students delivering services.
• John Lewis PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJohn Lewis Partnership Edinburgh made a generous donation of Christmas gifts including scarves, gift sets and chocolates for people supported by Quarriers Fife services.
• Queen's Park Football ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQuarriers kicked off a football partnership with Queen's Park to raise awareness and engagement with young people.
• Renfrewshire HSCPcoreOthersRenfrewshire HSCP funds Quarriers Renfrewshire Head Injury Service and Supported Living Initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ENABLE Scotland: Scotland's largest learning disability charity, providing supported living, residential, respite and advocacy services across Scotland. Directly comparable to Quarriers on geography, beneficiary group and commissioned social care model.
• Sense Scotland: Scottish charity supporting people with complex communication support needs, including deafblindness, learning and physical disabilities. Comparable service mix (residential, supported living, community services) in the same Scottish regions.
• Capability Scotland: Scottish disability charity offering supported living, residential care, education and respite services for children and adults with disabilities. Operates in the same Scottish local authority commissioning market as Quarriers.
• Penumbra Mental Health: Scottish mental health charity providing supported living, community outreach and recovery services. Comparable on commissioning-based delivery, advocacy and personalisation approach in Scotland.
• Scottish Autism: Scotland-focused autism charity with supported living, advice and specialist services (e.g. Mearns View-equivalent models). Overlaps directly with Quarriers' autism-specific services like Mearns View.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: Major UK children's charity providing fostering, residential care, mental health and family support. Comparable to Quarriers' children's rights, foster care and youth homelessness services but at much larger UK-wide scale.
• Mencap: UK-wide learning disability charity offering supported living, residential care and advocacy. While UK-scale, Mencap operates across many of the same service categories as Quarriers and competes for similar commissioning contracts.
• Sense (UK): National UK charity for people with complex disabilities including deafblindness, providing supported living and residential services. Comparable to Quarriers' disability support portfolio but at broader UK scale.
• Leonard Cheshire: UK-wide disability charity running residential care, supported living and respite services. Comparable service lines to Quarriers but operates across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland rather than Scotland only.

Others

• Carers Trust: UK network of carers' support services; Quarriers is a Network Partner. Carers Trust is a peer/ecosystem partner that accredits, connects and supports local carer service providers like Quarriers' own Carers Support Services.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/quarriers
• Facebookfacebook.com/quarrierscharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quarriers

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Quarriers