Children and Families Across Borders

What Children and Families Across Borders does

Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB) is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 1085541, Company Number 4025539) founded in 1955 as ISS GB and rebranded to its current name in 2009. It is the sole UK member of the International Social Service (ISS) network and operates as the UK's designated Central Authority-adjacent body under the 1996 Hague Convention for international child protection. The organisation's core function is cross-border child protection casework: it runs a free national Advice Line for social workers, provides direct case management for local authorities and family courts requiring international cooperation, and delivers specialised training in international social work. CFAB supports vulnerable children separated from families due to conflict, trafficking, migration, family breakdown, or asylum-related issues, working with partners across 130 countries.

CFAB's service portfolio is centred on professional social work case management rather than technology products, though it has developed proprietary tools including a Virtual Contact Supervision Service (built during COVID-19 to enable remote family contact), an International Kinship Care Guide (first-of-its-kind resource for Looked After Children placed abroad), and the Cultural Family Life Library — a series of heritage-specific guides for diaspora communities endorsed by bodies including the Jamaican High Commission. The organisation also launched an International Legal Advice Service in 2023, creating a network of legal advisers to support UK court proceedings involving international elements.

The business model is entirely donation-funded. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, with revenue derived from individual donations, charitable trusts and foundations (including BFSS, Esmee Fairbairn, Evan Cornish Foundation, BBC Children in Need, National Lottery, Porticus, Dulverton Trust), corporate partners, and fundraising events. A five-year campaign launched in 2025 targets £5 million to protect 20,000 children and expand the organisation's worldwide network. CFAB employs 18–20 staff, is led by CEO Carolyn Housman (in role since 2017), and is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Michael Phair, with HRH Princess Alexandra as Royal Patron.

Name

Children and Families Across Borders

Legal name

Children and Families Across Borders

Website

https://cfab.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CFAB is a UK registered charity and sole UK member of the International Social Service network, providing cross-border child protection casework, a national Advice Line, and training to UK local authorities, courts, and social workers across 130 countries.

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: CFAB generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners. The organization runs fundraising campaigns including a current five-year campaign to raise £5 million to protect 20,000 children.
2. Campaign Fundraising: Five-year campaign launched in 2025 to raise £5 million to support 20,000 children, expand worldwide network, secure the Child Protection Team, and amplify advocacy work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CFAB provides case management for cross-border child protection cases, a free national Advice Line for social workers and families, and specialised training in international social work. The charity also delivers legal guidance through an International Legal Advice Service and produces cultural competence resources including the International Kinship Care Guide and the Cultural Family Life Library for diaspora communities in the UK.

Product overview

Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB) offers a comprehensive suite of social work and child protection services rather than a technology product. The core offerings include: a free national Advice Line for child protection guidance; casework services managing cross-border child protection cases; specialised training in international social work; and Legal Guidance including an International Legal Advice Service connecting UK courts with legal experts worldwide. Supporting resources include the International Kinship Care Guide and Cultural Family Life Library (cultural guides for Pakistani, Nigerian, Romanian, and Jamaican heritage). CFAB operates the Family Reunification Project for asylum-seeking children, runs the Safe, Secure and Thriving advocacy campaign, and hosts an annual International Child Protection Lecture. The organisation is the sole UK member of the International Social Service (ISS) network, operating across 130 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advice Line Free national telephone advice line providing guidance and practical support on child protection issues to agencies and individuals seeking to protect vulnerable children across international borders. Available to social workers, local authorities, and families.
• Casework Comprehensive case management for cross-border child protection cases, including facilitating inter-country collaboration, care proceedings requiring cross-border cooperation, overseas family assessments, and placement recommendations.
• Training Specialised training programmes in international social work delivered to UK Local Authorities, social workers, and international partners, covering cross-border case management and international child protection practice.
• International Legal Advice Service Centralised network of international legal experts who provide expert reports for use in child protection proceedings in UK courts, bridging UK family law with international elements.
• Legal Guidance Legal guidance and support for cross-border child protection cases and family reunification matters.
• Family Reunification Project Support project for refugee or asylum-seeking children and young people arriving in the UK to live with extended family members, helping to ensure safe and sustainable reunifications.
• International Kinship Care Guide Comprehensive guide designed to minimise chances of placement breakdown when Looked After Children are sent abroad to live with family overseas, outlining best practice in international kinship care for social workers and local authorities.
• Cultural Family Life Library Series of introductory guides for social workers covering the history and culture of families in diaspora communities in the UK, including guides for Pakistani, Nigerian, Romanian, and Jamaican heritage families, with endorsement from bodies including the Jamaican High Commission.
• Factsheets for Professionals Educational factsheets and guides for professionals working with international child protection cases.
• Research Research publications and evidence on international social work and child protection, including CFAB's research into outcomes for children placed overseas.
• Pre-Payment Scheme Financial scheme supporting families with international child protection arrangements.
• Our Work in Wales Partnership with Welsh Government to provide international child protection services across Wales, including advice, casework, and training.
• Equity in Permanency Project focused on ensuring equitable permanent care solutions for children across international borders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2510 children helped through Advice Line and 405 through casework in 2022/23
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cultural Family Life Library PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Cultural guides developed with endorsement from international bodies including Jamaican High Commission. Guides cover Pakistani, Nigerian, Romanian, and Jamaican heritage families to support social workers.
• International Social Service (ISS) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAB is the UK branch of the International Social Service network. The organization regularly reports to the ISS Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. ISS is recognized as a body of 'uncontested competence' under the 1996 Hague Convention for performing Central Authority functions.
• Welsh GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAB has a partnership with Welsh Government for delivering services in Wales.
• Family for Every Child AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAB is an active member of the Family for Every Child global alliance, contributing to global kinship care guidance and policy work.
• Kinship Alliance (KCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAB is a member of the Kinship Alliance, working collaboratively on advocacy for kinship care policy including international kinship care.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: The largest UK children's charity, providing child protection, fostering, and family support services including work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Comparable in mission and target beneficiary group (vulnerable children in the UK), though much broader in scope than CFAB's international niche.
• NSPCC: UK's leading child protection charity running Childline, helplines, and direct service delivery for children at risk. Comparable as a UK-wide child protection charity with professional training programs and advocacy work, though NSPCC's remit is domestic whereas CFAB specializes in the international cross-border dimension.
• Save the Children UK: Major UK-anchored international children's charity with global programs covering child protection, refugee children, and family reunification. Comparable in serving refugee and displaced children across borders, though operating at much larger scale and with a broader geographic and programmatic remit.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to safeguard the rights of refugees including unaccompanied and separated children. Comparable in serving separated refugee children across borders, though UNHCR operates at intergovernmental scale while CFAB operates as a UK charity implementing that work at the case level.

Regional players

• Together for Short Lives: UK charity supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families, including advocacy and family support services. Comparable as a UK children's charity operating in the family support and casework space, though focused on palliative rather than cross-border protection needs.
• Refuge: UK charity supporting women and children escaping domestic abuse, including specialist services for children affected by abuse and trafficking. Comparable in serving vulnerable children and families affected by abuse in the UK, with overlap on the trafficking-related child protection caseload CFAB handles.

Direct peers

• International Social Service (ISS): Global network of which CFAB is the UK branch; ISS provides the same category of cross-border child protection and family reunification services internationally and is the parent context in which CFAB operates. Directly comparable in mission, service mix, and Central Authority role under the 1996 Hague Convention.
• Family for Every Child Alliance: Global alliance of which CFAB is an active member, focused on kinship care, family strengthening, and child protection policy worldwide. Comparable as a peer organization working on international kinship care guidance and policy — overlapping directly on the International Kinship Care Guide work.
• Coram: UK children's charity group providing legal services, family support, and advocacy for children, including the former Children's Legal Centre. Directly comparable in mission and offering legal guidance for children's cases; Coram Children's Legal Centre was a previous employer of CFAB staff, indicating close operational overlap.

Emerging players

• Missing People: UK charity providing helpline and casework support for missing people and their families, including children separated from families. Comparable as a UK charity running a national advice line and family reunification casework, intersecting with CFAB on cases where children separated across borders need tracing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-and-families-across-borders-cfab-uk-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children and Families Across Borders