Families Outside
Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland supporting families affected by imprisonment, delivering a free helpline, regional 1:1 support, Prison Visitors' Centre coordination, CPD training, and policy research for an estimated 3,000 family members annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Families Outside does
Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland working exclusively to support families affected by imprisonment, founded around 1992 and headquartered at 17 Gayfield Square, Edinburgh. The organization serves an addressable population of roughly 8,200 people imprisoned daily in Scotland (2019-2020 figures), with an estimated 20,000 children each year affected by a parent in prison and approximately 3,000 family members directly supported annually. Its service portfolio combines a free national helpline (0800 254 0088, Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm), Scotland-wide regional Family Support Coordinators delivering face-to-face and phone-based 1:1 support, and the national coordinating role for Prison Visitors' Centres across the majority of Scottish prisons.
The product surface extends to specialized support for children and young people (group work, age-appropriate resources, video materials), a CPD-accredited training programme for professionals at £95 per person per module, and a research and publications function producing reports such as Paying the Price (financial impact of imprisonment) and Staying Connected (sibling separation). Additional tools include the Child Impact Assessment framework, developed with Perth and Kinross Council and funded by the UNCRC Corra Innovation Fund, plus a library of information sheets, webinars, and toolkits.
Families Outside operates as a non-profit funded primarily through donations, Scottish Government and trust grants, and a small commercial revenue stream from professional training; it has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue figures. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer for families and direct-to-professional for the training stream, supported by multi-channel awareness through website, social media, newsletters, conferences, and an extensive research and earned-media presence. The technology layer is minimal - the organization is service-led rather than platform-led, with no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI capabilities, supplemented only by Cyber Essentials certification (2023) for data-handling compliance.
Families Outside firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Families Outside
- Legal name
- Families Outside
- Website
- https://familiesoutside.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland supporting families affected by imprisonment, delivering a free helpline, regional 1:1 support, Prison Visitors' Centre coordination, CPD training, and policy research for an estimated 3,000 family members annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Families Outside industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Family Support Services / Criminal Justice Charity Services
- NAICS
- Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Assistance (624)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)
Keywords
Where Families Outside is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Families Outside business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Funding: Families Outside operates as a charitable organization funded primarily through donations. The website mentions a donation page at totalgiving.co.uk/charity/families-outside. They also receive funding from government bodies and trusts for specific research projects.
- Professional Training Services: CPD-accredited training modules for professionals at £95 per person, per module. Training covers understanding the impact of imprisonment on families, supporting children and young people, and prison and prison visiting topics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Helpline Service - Support and Information Services |
| Unit Pricing | Per training module | CPD-Accredited Professional Training Module |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Families Outside product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland working exclusively to support families affected by imprisonment. It delivers a free confidential helpline, 1:1 regional family support, Prison Visitors' Centre coordination, and CPD-accredited training for professionals, alongside research publications and policy advocacy. The charity helps approximately 3,000 family members annually with housing, finance, emotional support, and navigating the criminal justice system.
Product overview
Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland working exclusively on behalf of families affected by imprisonment. The organization offers a unified service portfolio centered on its Support and Information Helpline (0800 254 0088) and 1:1 Family Support service provided by regional coordinators across Scotland. The product suite includes specialized support for children and young people (Supporting Children and Young People), Prison Visitors' Centres coordination, CPD-accredited training for professionals, and Child Impact Assessments. The organization publishes research through its Paying the Price (financial impact) and Staying Connected (sibling relationships) programs, alongside a comprehensive Tools and Resources library, Family Induction Webinar Series, and Information Sheets covering all stages of the criminal justice process. All offerings are free support services and educational resources for families and professionals, not commercial technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Support and Information Helpline
Quantifiable outcome
- Research shows prisoners who maintain contact with families are up to 6 times less likely to reoffend
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Families Outside
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Families Outside technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Families Outside partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Children in ScotlandcorePartner organization working on children's rights and welfare issues in Scotland. Families Outside appears alongside Children in Scotland in collaborative initiatives.
- Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE)coreEuropean-wide initiative on behalf of children with an imprisoned parent. Families Outside is a member organization.
- Criminal Justice Voluntary Sector ForumcoreForum bringing together voluntary sector organizations working in criminal justice in Scotland for collaboration and advocacy.
- International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP)coreInternational coalition focused on children with incarcerated parents. Families Outside is a member organization.
- Parenting Across ScotlandminorNetwork focusing on issues affecting parents in Scotland, collaborating on family support initiatives.
- Together ScotlandcoreScottish Alliance for Children's Rights with over 600 member organizations. Juliet Harris, a trustee of Families Outside, serves as Director of Together.
- CPD UKcoreContinuing Professional Development accreditation body. Families Outside's training modules are CPD-accredited.
- Scottish Prison ServicecoreGovernment body responsible for prisons in Scotland. Collaborates with Families Outside on family support services, Prison Visitors' Centres, and family strategy. Jointly created Scottish Prison Service Family Strategy 2017-2022 with Barnardo's Scotland.
- Upside (National Throughcare Service)coreNational throughcare service available across Scotland providing practical and emotional support for people transitioning from custody to community life. Partner in Emergency Early Release preparations.
- SACROcoreScottish charity creating safer communities. Provides throughcare support for people on release from prison, meeting them at the prison gate and arranging support with appointments, accommodation, health, and employment.
- Citizens Advice ScotlandminorIndependent advice service providing free, impartial advice on finances, debt, benefits, employment, and housing. Referrals and collaboration for families needing financial advice.
- Apex ScotlandminorSpecialist organization addressing personal development, employment, and training needs of people who have come into conflict with the law. Runs services throughout Scotland.
- Perth and Kinross CouncilcoreLocal authority partnered with Families Outside for Child Impact Assessment framework adoption, funded by UNCRC Corra Innovation Fund.
- Prison Reform TrustcoreUK charity that published the Child Impact Assessment framework. Families Outside adopted this framework in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council.
- Barnardo's ScotlandcoreMajor children's charity in Scotland. Jointly created the Scottish Prison Service Family Strategy 2017-2022 with Families Outside and Scottish Prison Service.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Families Outside competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SACRO: Scottish charity creating safer communities through restorative justice and throughcare support for people leaving prison and their families — a direct operational partner of Families Outside in Scotland.
- PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust): The UK-wide charity that supports prisoners, people with convictions, and their families — the most direct England-and-Wales analogue to Families Outside, offering family support, visitors' centres, and policy advocacy across a similar mission.
- Apex Scotland: A Scottish specialist charity addressing personal development, employment, and training for people in conflict with the law; an operational partner of Families Outside and comparable in serving criminal-justice-affected populations in Scotland.
- Prison Reform Trust: UK charity working to create a just, humane, and effective criminal justice system; published the Child Impact Assessment framework adopted by Families Outside, making it both a research partner and a peer in prisoner-family advocacy.
- Children Heard and Seen: A UK charity focused specifically on supporting children and families affected by parental imprisonment — directly comparable in target population, although operating across England rather than Scotland.
Others
- Clinks: UK-wide infrastructure body supporting the voluntary sector working in criminal justice — comparable in advocacy and policy-influencing function, though Clinks is an umbrella/membership body rather than a direct service provider.
- Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE): A pan-European network of organizations supporting children with imprisoned parents; Families Outside is a member, making COPE a peer in mission and an enabling coalition for cross-border research and policy work.
Broad incumbents
- NACRO: A long-standing UK charity working across criminal justice — resettlement, housing, education, and family support — providing comparable but broader services aimed at reducing reoffending.
- Barnardo's Scotland: Scotland's largest children's charity and a co-author of the Scottish Prison Service Family Strategy with Families Outside; much broader portfolio but overlapping on children-of-prisoners support and policy advocacy.
- Spurgeons Children's Charity: A UK children's services charity offering family support, early intervention, and youth services — overlapping with Families Outside on children-of-prisoners support, with a broader geographic and thematic scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Families Outside social profiles
Digital presenceFamilies Outside compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Families Outside financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Families Outside leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Families Outside funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Families Outside 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 Families Outside
What does Families Outside do?
Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland working exclusively to support families affected by imprisonment. It delivers a free confidential helpline, 1:1 regional family support, Prison Visitors' Centre coordination, and CPD-accredited training for professionals, alongside research publications and policy advocacy. The charity helps approximately 3,000 family members annually with housing, finance, emotional support, and navigating the criminal justice system.
Is Families Outside a public or private company?
Families Outside is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Families Outside founded?
Families Outside was founded in 1992. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Families Outside based?
Families Outside is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Families Outside make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Funding is the primary driver. The others are professional Training Services.
Who are Families Outside's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SACRO, PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust), Apex Scotland, Prison Reform Trust and Children Heard and Seen. Others are Clinks and Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE). Broad incumbents are NACRO, Barnardo's Scotland and Spurgeons Children's Charity.
Does Families Outside have an API?
No public API is recorded for Families Outside.
What industry is Families Outside in?
Families Outside's product category is Family Support Services / Criminal Justice Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services, with a secondary code of BPAGACAF, Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.