EPIC Empowering People In Care

What EPIC Empowering People In Care does

EPIC Empowering People In Care is an Irish non-profit organisation, founded in 2000 and registered as a company limited by guarantee, that operates Ireland's National Advocacy Service for children in care and young care-leavers up to age 26. Headquartered in Dublin at 7 Red Cow Lane, Smithfield, with regional offices in Cork, Limerick, and Castlebar (Mayo), EPIC delivers free, confidential, independent one-to-one advocacy across foster care, relative foster care, residential care, special care, youth detention, and aftercare. Services are accessed via online advocacy request forms, direct contact with regional offices, and referrals from Tusla social workers, professionals, or parents and guardians. The organisation's work is explicitly grounded in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

EPIC's core programme portfolio comprises three integrated offerings: (i) the National Advocacy Service, providing one-to-one advocacy, representation at care planning meetings, and rights navigation; (ii) the EPIC Care Community and EPIC Youth Council, which operate as ongoing youth engagement, participation, and peer-voice channels including the LGBTQ+ Youth Advisory Committee; and (iii) Research and Policy, producing participative research (e.g., the Care to College study with TU Dublin and an ongoing unaccompanied minors project) and policy submissions to Oireachtas committees. Sub-products include the Take Care Toolkit (school resource), Know Your Rights in Care (KYRIC) creative project with the Hear Me Out card game, the Destiny Comic from the Boys in the Making programme at Oberstown, Coming Out in Care LGBTQ+ resources co-developed with BeLong To, Aftercare FAQs, and the Advice Hub. Annual Impact Reports, the quarterly EPIC News newsletter, and Care Day (an international celebration in its 10th year under the 5 Nations 1 Voice alliance established 2016) constitute EPIC's recurring engagement outputs. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying stack is a conventional SaaS configuration: Salesforce for case and contact records, Microsoft Forms for referrals, Mailchimp for newsletter distribution, PayPal for donations, AWS for hosting and load balancing, and Cookieyes for consent management. The website is WCAG 2.1 AA compliant, and EPIC operates under GDPR, the Children First Act 2015 safeguarding framework, and the Charitable Donation Scheme (45% tax relief on donations of €250 or more).

EPIC's revenue model is grant-funded non-profit: primary income is managed-services funding from Tusla (Child and Family Agency) and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, supplemented by donations routed through PayPal (including the Brita Waters Legacy Fund for education and emergency grants). There is no fee-for-service component — all advocacy services are free to beneficiaries. The organisation is governed by a voluntary board of directors (minimum five members, three-year terms) led by Chairperson Conor Brophy and CEO Wayne Stanley, with a leadership team that includes the Research and Policy Manager (Róisín Webb) and a Youth Engagement & Participation function (Emma-Louise Carroll as Lead, plus coordinators and workers based in Dublin, Limerick, and Donegal). With 25 employees, no disclosed revenue figures, and a 2022-2027 strategic plan as its governing roadmap, EPIC operates a focused, mission-defined advocacy franchise with national Irish coverage and modest international alliance footprint.

Name

EPIC Empowering People In Care

Legal name

EPIC Empowering People In Care

Website

https://epiconline.ie

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPIC Empowering People In Care is an Irish non-profit founded in 2000 that provides free, confidential, independent advocacy to children in care and care-leavers up to age 26 through four regional offices nationwide, backed by Tusla and Department of Children funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAO

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAM

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAN

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Child advocacy services
• Youth care rights
• Independent advocacy
• Care-experienced support
• Child welfare advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from Tusla (Child and Family Agency) and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. EPIC operates as a company limited by guarantee and registered charity.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: EPIC accepts donations through PayPal on their website. The Brita Waters Legacy Fund provides education and emergency grants to children in care and care-leavers up to age 26, funded by charitable donations.
3. Tax Relief Scheme: Donations of €250 or more qualify for 45% tax relief under the Charitable Donation Scheme, where EPIC can claim rebate from Revenue Commissioners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EPIC operates Ireland's National Advocacy Service, providing free, confidential, and independent one-to-one advocacy to children and young people in foster care, residential care, special care, youth detention, and aftercare, as well as anyone with care experience up to age 26. The organization supplements this direct advocacy with the EPIC Care Community and EPIC Youth Council for youth engagement, and a Research and Policy function that conducts participative, voice-led research grounded in UNCRC Article 12.

Product overview

EPIC Empowering People In Care is a non-profit organisation operating a single integrated advocacy and participation service rather than a software product portfolio. The core offering is EPIC's National Advocacy Service, which provides free, confidential, independent one-to-one advocacy to children in care and young care-leavers up to age 26. This is supported by the EPIC Care Community and EPIC Youth Council programmes for youth engagement and participation, Research and Policy functions for advocacy-led research and agenda-setting policy work. Key sub-products and resources include the Take Care Toolkit (school resource), Know Your Rights in Care (KYRIC) creative project with card game, Coming Out in Care LGBTQ+ resources, Aftercare FAQs, and Advice Hub. EPIC also publishes Impact Reports, media statements, and submissions on policy matters, and administers the Brita Waters Legacy Fund. All work is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly Article 12.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Advocacy Service Free, confidential, and independent one-to-one advocacy service for children and young people in foster care, relative foster care, residential care, special care, and youth detention, as well as young people in aftercare services and anyone with care experience up to age 26 in Ireland.
• EPIC Care Community A welcoming community space for children and young people in care, in aftercare, or with care experience to connect, take part in activities, social events, upskilling opportunities, campaigns, creative media projects, and Youth Council participation.
• EPIC Youth Council A national group of young people aged 18 to 26 with care experience who use their voices to influence change, advise on policies, services, and outcomes for children in care and aftercare, and engage with national decision-makers.
• Information Sessions Information sessions for children, young people, groups, professionals, and agencies working with children in care, explaining EPIC's work and services. Sessions are available in-person or online.
• Research and Policy Participative, voice-led research and agenda-setting policy work that influences legislation, practice, and outcomes for children in care and care leavers, grounded in UNCRC Article 12.
• Take Care Toolkit A school resource consisting of a youth-centred resource and an accompanying school guide with practical recommendations for teachers and school leaders on building trauma-informed, inclusive environments for care-experienced students.
• Know Your Rights in Care (KYRIC) A rights-based creative project supporting children and young people to understand their rights under UNCRC through the Hear Me Out card game (20 cards featuring UNCRC rights), visual resources, and workshops.
• Boys in the Making Programme A creative programme bringing groups together to co-create and explore masculinity and boys' needs and experiences through comic creation, developed for Oberstown Children Detention Campus.
• Coming Out in Care Resources Two leaflets and a short animated video supporting LGBTQ+ children and young people in care and the professionals working with them.
• Brita Waters Legacy Fund A legacy fund providing education and emergency grants to children in care and young care leavers up to age 26 to offset food and fuel poverty or provide college equipment, funded through PayPal donations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Care Day has been celebrated for 10 years, growing from 5 nations to international participation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Inclusion IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Partnered with EPIC to present before the Joint Committee on Disability Matters in May 2026. Both organizations advocated for representative advocacy services for children with disabilities.
• 5 Nations 1 Voice AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016International alliance established in 2016 comprising EPIC (Ireland), Become (England), Who Cares? Scotland (Scotland), Voices from Care (Wales), and VOYPIC (Northern Ireland). Organizes annual Care Day celebrations.
• BeLong TocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIreland's national LGBTQ+ youth organization. EPIC partnered with BeLong To to create Coming Out in Care resources including leaflets and animated video for professionals working with LGBTQ+ children in care. Collaboration funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
• Oberstown Children Detention CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Boys in the Making programme, a creative programme for children in detention. EPIC facilitated workshops with young people at Oberstown to co-create the Destiny comic with artist Aaron Sunderland Carey.
• Kids' OwncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with EPIC to host creative workshops for the Take Care Toolkit project, where care-experienced children shared their school experiences through art and storytelling.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ISPCC (Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children): National child welfare charity delivering Childline and support services for children in Ireland. Shares the same funder base (Tusla, government departments) and overlaps with EPIC on child protection and welfare advocacy.
• Inclusion Ireland: National advocacy organization for people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Co-presented with EPIC before the Joint Committee on Disability Matters in May 2026, signaling overlapping interest in representative advocacy for children with disabilities in care.
• Who Cares? Scotland: Scotland's national advocacy organization for care-experienced young people and a member of the 5 Nations 1 Voice alliance alongside EPIC. Operates the same model of independent advocacy, youth participation, and policy influence for care leavers.
• Children's Rights Alliance: Irish coalition and advocacy organization focused on children's rights implementation, including UNCRC compliance. Operates parallel policy, research, and advocacy work targeting overlapping government stakeholders and care-system reform agendas.
• BeLonG To Youth Services: Ireland's national LGBTQ+ youth organization, already a strategic partner of EPIC on the Coming Out in Care resources. Shares the same care-experienced LGBTQ+ youth beneficiary segment and operates parallel advocacy and youth engagement work.
• Barnardos Ireland: Ireland's largest children's charity, providing direct services and advocacy for children including those in care. Barnardos operates parallel advocacy, research, and policy functions targeting the same vulnerable population, making it the closest direct peer to EPIC's National Advocacy Service.
• Become: England's national charity for children in care and young care leavers, also part of the 5 Nations 1 Voice alliance. Provides near-identical advocacy, participation, and policy services to a parallel population in the UK.
• Focus Ireland: National organization addressing youth homelessness and aftercare in Ireland. Overlaps with EPIC on aftercare planning, transition support for care leavers, and policy advocacy on housing and welfare for vulnerable youth.
• Voices from Care Cymru: Wales's national advocacy charity for care-experienced children and young people, completing the 5 Nations 1 Voice alliance. Operates as a direct functional equivalent of EPIC in the Welsh context.
• VOYPIC (Voice of Young People in Care): Northern Ireland's advocacy organization for children and young people in care, also a 5 Nations 1 Voice alliance member. Delivers the same independent advocacy and participation model as EPIC in a related but distinct jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epic-empowering-people-in-care

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 EPIC Empowering People In Care