Voice of Carers Across Lothian

What Voice of Carers Across Lothian does

VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian) is a Scottish registered charity (SC020755; company number SC183050) founded in 1994 that provides support services to unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian. Its service portfolio spans information and advice, benefits and financial guidance, legal support (Power of Attorney, wills, Adult Carer Support Plans), counselling, peer mentoring, specialist support for distinct carer cohorts (parent carers, dementia carers, mental health carers, young adult carers, LGBT carers, family members affected by drug/alcohol dependency, and bereaved former carers), and respite coordination via its Wee Breaks service. Delivery is hybrid: two physical carer centres (Edinburgh Carers' Hub at 60 Leith Walk and Midlothian Carer Centre at Hardengreen Estate, Dalkeith), phone and email support, a website portal, and an e-learning platform (Carers Learning Space) for self-directed training. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying stack consists of standard web, email (Mailchimp), donations processing (JustGiving), and learning management system components. VOCAL is the primary dedicated carer support organization in its geography and is commissioned by Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership.

VOCAL's business model is a multi-stream nonprofit income model. The largest stream is statutory funding and grants from local authority Health and Social Care Partnerships and government sources, delivered as commissioned services. Secondary streams include voluntary donations and legacies, fundraising events (including skydiving with Skydive St Andrews), and the VOCAL 100 Club monthly lottery (balls priced at £5 via JustGiving Direct Debit, with half the pool paid out as cash prizes). Earned income is generated by two social enterprises: Treasure Tree, a wholly-owned subsidiary selling second-hand mobility equipment via eBay and a physical store at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh; and two accessible holiday lodges (Beaumont and Kielder) at Haven Seton Sands Holiday Village, available to the general public at £266 per night with proceeds funding free carer breaks. Customer segments are primarily individual unpaid carers, with a secondary B2B segment of employers and practitioners served through The Caring Employer Service, practitioner training (Think Carer), and the Midlothian Carer Community Fund. Marketing is community-led, relying on outreach, GP and healthcare referrals, partnerships with local authorities, email newsletters (bi-weekly to carers, quarterly to professionals), and organic social media (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn). Geographic reach is strictly limited to Edinburgh and Midlothian.

Name

Voice of Carers Across Lothian

Legal name

Voice of Carers Across Lothian

Website

https://vocal.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VOCAL is a Scottish charity founded in 1994 that supports unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian through advice, counselling, peer support, benefits guidance, training, and respite breaks, operating from two carer centres with funding from local authority commissions, donations, and social enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care and Carer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

Keywords

• Unpaid carer support
• Carer counselling services
• Benefits and welfare advice
• Respite and breaks service
• Carer training and learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Statutory Funding and Grants: VOCAL receives funding from local authorities (Edinburgh and Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnerships) and government sources to deliver carer support services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through donations, legacy donations, fundraising events (skydiving), and the VOCAL 100 Club monthly lottery.
3. Social Enterprise - Treasure Tree: Treasure Tree social enterprise sells second-hand mobility equipment at discounted rates through eBay and an Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh shop.
4. Holiday Home Bookings: VOCAL operates holiday homes at Seton Sands (Beaumont and Kielder lodges) available for public booking at £266 per night. Bookings help fund free carer breaks.
5. VOCAL 100 Club Lottery: Monthly lottery raising money for carer support, with half the fund paid out in cash prizes. Balls cost £5 each.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

VOCAL is a Scottish charity that provides a comprehensive range of free and low-cost support services to unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian. Its core offerings include one-to-one support from Carer Support Practitioners, counselling, peer mentoring, benefits and legal advice, specialist support programmes for specific carer groups (dementia, mental health, parent carers, young adult carers, LGBT carers, bereavement), respite breaks via the Wee Breaks service, an online Carers Learning Space for training, the Treasure Tree social enterprise selling second-hand mobility equipment, and accessible holiday lodges at Seton Sands.

Product overview

VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian) operates as a charity providing an integrated suite of support services for unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian. The organization offers a multi-channel service delivery model comprising: a central website portal (vocal.org.uk) providing information, online courses, and service access; the Carers Learning Space for e-learning and training; physical carer centres (Edinburgh Carers' Hub and Midlothian Carer Centre); the Wee Breaks service for respite funding and holiday homes (Beaumont and Kielder lodges at Seton Sands); specialist support programmes targeting dementia carers, mental health carers, parent carers, young adult carers, LGBT carers, and bereavement support; financial services including benefits advice, the Midlothian Carer Assistance Fund, and home energy support; legal services covering Power of Attorney, wills and trusts; wellbeing services including counselling and peer mentoring; future planning support for emergencies and long-term care; the Treasure Tree social enterprise for mobility equipment; and employer support through The Caring Employer Service. Additional offerings include the VOCAL 100 Club monthly lottery, volunteer programmes, and community outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wee Breaks: Service helping carers access short breaks from caring through funding, holiday homes, and personalised advice
• Treasure Tree
• Edinburgh Carers' Hub
• VOCAL 100 Club
• VOCAL Midlothian Carer Centre

Products and services

• Carer Support Team (one-to-one support) One-to-one personalised support service from Carer Support Practitioners offering advice, emotional support, and help accessing services either in person, by phone, or email, for unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian.
• Wellbeing Services (counselling, peer mentoring, peer groups, health support)

Quantifiable outcome

• Edinburgh's unpaid carers save the city's health and social care £1.047 billion per year

Named customers2 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Edinburgh Health and Social Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOCAL works in partnership with Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership to deliver carer support services, likely as a commissioned service provider. The partnership supports the shared goal of recognizing and supporting unpaid carers in Edinburgh.
• Midlothian Health and Social Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOCAL works in partnership with Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership to deliver carer support services, likely as a commissioned service provider. The partnership supports the shared goal of recognizing and supporting unpaid carers in Midlothian.
• Coalition of Carers in ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOCAL is a member of the Coalition of Carers in Scotland, a network of carer organizations working to influence policy and share best practices.
• LGBT Youth ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOCAL holds the LGBT Charter Silver Level awarded by LGBT Youth Scotland, indicating commitment to inclusive practices for LGBT carers.
• Skydive St AndrewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSkydive St Andrews facilitates VOCAL's skydiving fundraiser events at Fife Airport, providing tandem skydiving experiences for fundraisers supporting VOCAL's work.
• JustGivingminorOthersVOCAL uses JustGiving for processing donations including the VOCAL 100 Club monthly lottery payments and general fundraising donations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Care for Carers (formerly Edinburgh Carers Council): Edinburgh-based independent charity providing information, support, and advocacy for unpaid carers. Directly comparable to VOCAL as a same-city, same-mission organisation serving Edinburgh carers with overlapping services such as benefits advice and peer support.
• Carers Trust: UK-wide charity supporting unpaid carers through a network of local Carers' Centres and direct services. Directly comparable to VOCAL because it operates the same model (local carer centres delivering advice, counselling, peer support, and respite) at a national scale, including partnerships with NHS and local authorities.
• Alzheimer Scotland: Scotland's leading dementia charity, providing information, advice, and support including for families and unpaid carers of people with dementia. Comparable to VOCAL because dementia carers are one of VOCAL's specialist segments and the two organisations share referral pathways and policy advocacy in Scotland.
• Crossroads Care Scotland: Scottish charity providing respite breaks and carer support services across multiple regions. Directly comparable to VOCAL's Wee Breaks service and broader respite offering, with overlapping funding sources (local authorities, donations) and similar beneficiary population.
• Carers UK: National UK charity advocating for and supporting unpaid carers through information, advice, and policy campaigns. Comparable to VOCAL as the lead national voice on carer rights and benefits, with overlapping service scope in information, training, and employer engagement (notably around the Carer's Leave Act).
• MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project): Edinburgh-based charity providing carer support services for minority ethnic communities in Scotland. Closely comparable to VOCAL as a regional Scottish carer-support organisation offering information, advocacy, training, and wellbeing services for unpaid carers.

Regional players

• Dundee Carers Centre: Regional unpaid-carer support organisation covering Dundee and surrounding areas. Directly comparable service portfolio (advice, peer support, training, respite) but serves a different Scottish geography than VOCAL.
• Lanarkshire Carers Centre: Regional carer support charity serving North and South Lanarkshire in Scotland. Comparable to VOCAL because it offers the same menu of advice, training, counselling, and respite services, but operates in a different Scottish region and does not directly compete in Edinburgh or Midlothian.

Broad incumbents

• Coalition of Carers in Scotland: Umbrella network of Scottish carer organisations, of which VOCAL is a member. Comparable as the convening body that influences national policy and shares best practice, sitting one layer above VOCAL but shaping the funding and policy environment in which it operates.
• Age Scotland: National Scottish charity for older people that includes support services touching unpaid carers and family members of older people. Comparable in service mix (advice, benefits, information, wellbeing) and Scottish commissioning environment, but with a broader older-person mission rather than a carer-first focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VOCALEdinburgh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZv4tnkS-hnwPPigSyj78_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/VOCALEdinburgh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vocalcarers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Voice of Carers Across Lothian