Families In Action

What Families In Action does

Families In Action (FIA) is a non-profit social services organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with approximately 32 employees and additional offices in Pt. Lisas and Arima. The organization delivers a coordinated suite of human services including a 24-hour crisis helpline (operating the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-SAVE under contract with the Office of the Prime Minister), professional counselling (individual sessions at TT$300 and couple/family sessions at TT$350), an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) covering 18,000+ employees across more than 100 corporate clients in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, and Belize, an Addiction Support Programme, the Confident Parenting Programme, Youth Education initiatives, Workplace Support services, Domestic Violence Support Services, and a Migrant Support Programme serving Venezuelan migrants. Reported scale metrics include 28,000+ hotline calls answered, 9,000+ counselling sessions delivered, 500+ families served through parenting programmes, 870+ bilingual counselling sessions to migrants (189 individuals), and 700+ beneficiaries reached through the Community Resilience Initiative.

The business model is hybrid: recurring subscription revenue from corporate EAP contracts (with 90-97% retention), one-time fees for self-pay counselling and workshops, an annual membership programme at TT$100 with a TT$50 entrance fee, plus project-based funding from international donors including USAID/Democracy International (Community Resilience Initiative), the U.S. Embassy (Transitioning in T&T), and IOM (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support programme). The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and operational rather than product-led: SimplePractice for case management and clinical documentation (implemented 2020), Zoom for remote counselling delivery, the MyEAP digital portal for corporate client access, and Microsoft Viva Engage for internal communications (launched July 2023). No proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, or mobile applications are disclosed.

Operationally, FIA is governed by a Board of Directors of non-executive directors led by Chairman Leslie Bowrin, with CEO Dionne Guischard heading management. Recent strategic activity has emphasized Caribbean regional expansion of the EAP business, multi-donor migrant support programming, internal restructuring (separation of Counselling Services from EAWS Department in 2023), board strengthening with new directors bringing legal and psychological consulting expertise, and the launch of a structured Performance Development Process in January 2023. The organization holds EAPA Organizational Membership and NPO registration, reinforcing its positioning as an established regional provider of workplace wellbeing and social support services.

Name

Families In Action

Legal name

Families in Action

Website

https://familiesinaction.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Families In Action is a Trinidad and Tobago-based non-profit founded in 1988 that delivers counselling, employee assistance, addiction support, parenting programmes, and migrant support services to individuals, families, corporate clients, and government partners across four Caribbean countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services and Employee Assistance Programmes

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Employee assistance programmes
• Counselling services
• Crisis helpline
• Domestic violence support
• Addiction recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Port of Spain

HQ country

Trinidad & Tobago

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP): Corporate EAP contracts providing employee wellbeing services to organizations across Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region. This is a primary income source with 90-97% contract retention rate.
2. Counselling Services: Self-pay counselling sessions for individuals and families. Individual counselling at $300 TT per session, Couple and Family Counselling at $350 TT per session.
3. Membership Program: Annual membership subscription at $100 TT with a $50 TT entrance fee for new members. Members receive workshop notifications, newsletters, publication access, library access, and AGM invitations.
4. Workshops and Training: Parenting workshops, substance use/misuse family support workshops at $100 per family per session. Also includes workplace support training and youth education programs.
5. Project Funding: Funded programs including Migrant Support (CRI, Grow to Earn, MHPSS), Youth Education (DREAM to Succeed, SHERA, Youth Stand Up), and Domestic Violence Support. Funding from USAID, U.S. Embassy, IOM, and other international organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Families In Action delivers professional counselling, crisis intervention, and psychosocial support services across Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean through a 24-hour helpline, in-person and remote counselling, an Employee Assistance Programme for corporate clients, addiction support, parenting programmes, youth education, domestic violence case management, and migrant support programmes. Services are funded through a mix of corporate EAP subscriptions, self-pay session fees, membership dues, and project grants from international donors.

Product overview

Families In Action is a social services organization offering a coordinated suite of support services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include a 24-hour crisis helpline, professional counselling services (Individual and Couple/Family Counselling), Addiction Support Programme, Confident Parenting Programme, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) covering 18,000+ employees, Youth Education initiatives, Workplace Support, Domestic Violence Support Services, and Migrant Support Programme. Additional services include a Membership Programme and various Publications. Services are delivered through multiple delivery channels including in-person counselling, remote/virtual sessions, and the MyEAP digital portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24 Hours Helpline A 24-hour crisis support helpline providing immediate assistance to individuals and families in distress, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-SAVE) operated on behalf of the Office of the Prime Minister.
• Counselling Services Professional counselling services including Individual Counselling at TT$300 per session and Couple and Family Counselling at TT$350 per session, delivered in-person at FIA offices or remotely via Zoom.
• Addiction Support Programme Support services for individuals navigating substance use and dependency, including clients referred through the Community Drug Treatment Centre (CDTC). 121 clients were supported through this programme during the 2019-2023 period.
• Confident Parenting Programme Parenting education and support programme helping parents develop skills and strategies for effective family management. 500+ families have been served through the parenting programmes during the 2019-2023 period.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Workplace support services providing counselling and psychosocial support to employees, covering over 18,000 employees across multiple organizations in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, and Belize under recurring corporate contracts.
• Youth Education Programmes including Youth Stand Up and SHERA that empower young people with life skills, self-confidence, and personal development.
• Workplace Support Services supporting organizational wellbeing and employee wellness in workplace settings, delivered alongside the Employee Assistance Programme.
• Membership Programme Annual membership at TT$100 with a TT$50 entrance fee, offering early workshop notifications, newsletters, access to in-house library, and AGM invitations.
• MyEAP Portal Online employee assistance portal providing access to EAP services and resources for registered corporate client users.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 28,000 calls answered to National Domestic Violence Hotline
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EmpathiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established with Empathia to build a regional crisis network, enhancing FIA's capacity to provide crisis support services across the Caribbean region.
• USAID/Democracy InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Resilience Initiative (CRI) - Funded by USAID and implemented with Democracy International, offering counselling, ESL training, vocational skills, youth development and psychosocial support to Venezuelan migrants.
• U.S. Embassy Trinidad and TobagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Transitioning in T&T (TnTT) programme supporting life skills and empowerment for Venezuelan migrants.
• IOM (International Organization for Migration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programme for survivors of trafficking and vulnerable migrants. Also supported Youth Education programmes.
• Office of the Prime Minister (Trinidad and Tobago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted to manage the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-SAVE) and the Domestic Violence Active Listeners Training for hotline operators.
• First Citizens Bank LimitedminorOthersBanking services provider for FIA operations
• Nunes Financial LimitedminorOthersAuditors for the organization providing financial oversight

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ComPsych: Largest U.S. EAP provider offering counselling, crisis support and workplace wellness to large employers. Comparable product set and corporate-buyer focus; differs in being a much larger private incumbent rather than a regional NPO.
• Workplace Options: Global EAP and wellbeing provider serving multinational employers across multiple geographies. Comparable as a scaled incumbent offering the same core EAP/counselling proposition FIA sells to corporate clients, though operating with much broader geographic coverage.
• Optum (UnitedHealth Group) EAP: Diversified health-services incumbent with a substantial EAP and behavioural-health practice. Comparable as an incumbent employer-facing EAP competitor with similar service mix, but bundled into a much wider healthcare portfolio.

Emerging players

• Modern Health: Global mental-health platform providing counselling, coaching and EAP-style services to multinational employers. Comparable as a newer, digital-first entrant competing for the same employer-EAP wallet that FIA serves across the Caribbean.
• Spring Health: Employer-focused mental-health benefits platform combining EAP, therapy and precision-matching. Comparable as a fast-growing EAP/mental-health competitor pursuing multinational employer accounts that overlap with FIA's regional corporate client base.
• Lyra Health: Digital mental-health platform selling therapy and EAP-style benefits to employers. Comparable as an EAP competitor targeting the same corporate-buyer segment, but with a tech-led, venture-backed delivery model versus FIA's NPO model.

Direct peers

• ChildLine Trinidad and Tobago: Non-profit crisis helpline for children and families in Trinidad and Tobago. Directly comparable as a Caribbean NPO delivering 24/7 crisis-line services, family counselling and referral support, overlapping with FIA's domestic-violence hotline and family-services mandate.
• Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society: National humanitarian NPO delivering crisis response, psychosocial support and community programmes in T&T. Comparable as a regionally embedded non-profit with government partnerships and multi-programme family-vulnerability services.
• Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago: Long-standing Caribbean NPO providing family health, counselling and education services. Comparable in mission, donor-funded programme mix and reliance on government/international grants, operating in the same Trinidad and Tobago market.

Others

• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN migration agency that funds and operates MHPSS and migrant-support programmes in the Caribbean. Comparable as the counterparty funding FIA's migrant-services work, and an adjacent ecosystem player shaping the demand for migrant psychosocial support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzmp9_G0YnNJ_Zs0Fl2uqTw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/fia.familiesinaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/families-in-action

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 Families In Action