Stepping Stones

What Stepping Stones does

Stepping Stones (Luton) is a registered charity (Charity number 1162349) structured as a charitable company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (Registered number 6588338), founded in May 2008 and headquartered at 9a George Street West, Luton, Bedfordshire. It delivers free, confidential, and non-judgmental support services exclusively to women in the Luton area who are experiencing domestic abuse, substance misuse, or are at risk of offending, alongside parenting support. The product portfolio comprises five integrated service lines: Domestic Abuse Support, Offending and Rehabilitation, Parenting Support, Drug and Alcohol Support, and free onsite Childcare Services, all operated from a single physical site.

The business model is a non-commercial charity: no fees are charged for any service, and there is no price list or transactional revenue stream. Funding is raised through donations, matched-giving campaigns (notably the Big Give Small Charity Week referenced 22-29 June), the annual Shero Walk community fundraiser, and partnerships with platforms such as Give as You Live Online. Distribution is single-channel direct service delivery, accessed via referrals and self-referral, with services reaching over 485 women and children in the year referenced in the June 2026 Impact Report and 56 local events attended.

The organization is certified against the Women's Aid National Quality Standards and has received regional recognition through the SME Bedfordshire Business Awards and CI Luton Community Awards. There is no disclosed technology platform, API, mobile application, AI/ML capability, headcount figure, or financial statement in the source data; the entity operates with single-geography scope (Luton, UK), an independent trustee-governed structure, and no parent company, subsidiaries, or external institutional investors.

Name

Stepping Stones

Legal name

Stepping Stones (Luton)

Website

https://steppingstonesluton.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stepping Stones (Luton) is a registered charity founded in May 2008 that provides free, confidential support services to women in Luton experiencing domestic abuse, substance misuse, offending, and parenting challenges, including free onsite childcare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Social Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Domestic abuse support
• Substance misuse services
• Women crisis support
• Offending rehabilitation support
• Parenting support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Luton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stepping Stones provides free, confidential, and non-judgmental specialist support services for women experiencing domestic abuse, substance misuse issues, and those at risk of offending. The charity also delivers parenting support and free onsite childcare so that mothers can engage with its therapeutic and crisis-intervention programmes. It operates as a registered charitable company limited by guarantee based in Luton, Bedfordshire.

Product overview

Stepping Stones Luton is a registered charity (Charity number 1162349) founded in May 2008, providing free, confidential, and non-judgmental support services for women. The organization operates as a unified service portfolio offering four core support programs: Domestic Abuse Support, Offending and Rehabilitation, Parenting Support, and Drug and Alcohol Support. Additional support includes free onsite childcare services. The organization helped over 485 women and children last year, with services including Health and Wellbeing, Skills Training, and Raising awareness of abuse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Abuse Support
• Substance Misuse Support
• Offending Behaviour Support
• Parenting Support
• Free Onsite Childcare

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of clients reported improved confidence and self-esteem
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Turning Point: UK social enterprise providing substance misuse, mental health, and social support services. Directly comparable to Stepping Stones on the drug and alcohol support line of service, though Turning Point operates nationally and across multiple client groups.
• Galop: UK charity providing advice, advocacy, and support to LGBT+ people experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence. Comparable on the domestic abuse service delivery model for a specific community segment, though focused on LGBT+ survivors rather than women in general.
• The Hampton Trust: UK charity providing intervention and rehabilitation services for perpetrators and families affected by domestic abuse, including the Drive program. Directly comparable to Stepping Stones' offending and rehabilitation pillar and operating in adjacent regional geographies.
• Respect (UK): UK charity working with perpetrators, survivors, and young people around domestic abuse. Partially comparable on the offending/violence behavior side of Stepping Stones' mandate, though Respect's work is more perpetrator-focused while Stepping Stones' is survivor-focused.
• The Nelson Trust: UK charity supporting women with complex needs including substance misuse, offending, and trauma. Closely comparable to Stepping Stones on the integrated women-centred recovery model, particularly on the substance misuse and offending rehabilitation intersection.
• Refuge (UK): National UK charity providing specialist domestic abuse support for women and children, including refuge accommodation and community-based services. Directly comparable to Stepping Stones on the domestic abuse support line of service, though operating at significantly larger national scale.
• Rise (Rise Mutual / RISE Domestic Abuse Service): Domestic abuse service supporting women and children in another UK region with similar integrated recovery services. Closely comparable on mission (women and children fleeing abuse) and service mix, though operating in a different geographic footprint.

Others

• SafeLives: UK charity focused on improving the response to domestic abuse, providing training, accreditation, and data tools used by frontline services. Comparable to Stepping Stones as a sector enabler rather than a direct service competitor; relevant because SafeLives' tools may be deployed by Stepping Stones.
• Solicitor at Stepping Stones (placeholder): Omitted - I do not have sufficient confidence in the existence of this entity to include it.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Aid Federation of England: National umbrella federation that sets the National Quality Standards against which Stepping Stones is certified. It coordinates a network of local domestic abuse service providers and represents the sector to government, making it a structural incumbent rather than a direct competitor for service delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/steppingstonesl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stepping-stones-luton

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Stepping Stones