What Flexicare (Oxford & Abingdon) does

Flexicare (Oxford and Abingdon) is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO No. 1172635) that has operated a free, fully flexible, specialised sitting service for families with children with disabilities in Oxfordshire since its founding in 1984/1985. The charity delivers trained volunteer and coordinator sitters to families' homes and community settings, providing up to four hours of sitting per visit, typically two or three times a month, to enable parents to attend appointments, maintain relationships, and support siblings. Service recipients are families with disabled children (typically 0-18 years) with complex mobility, communication, and safety-awareness needs, plus siblings up to age 14; families self-refer or are referred by schools, medical staff, friends, and word-of-mouth across an 8-10 mile radius of Oxford city centre. Staff and volunteer sitters are predominantly carers and ex-carers of disabled children, and the workforce holds specialist training in DBS, safeguarding, first aid, seizure awareness, and safe lifting.

The organisation is Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered as a Domiciliary Care Agency with a 'Good' rating from its November 2018 inspection, and operates with a small core team (Manager, Office Manager, up to three Coordinators) supplemented by a volunteer workforce; a part-time Coordinator role (7.5-15 hours/week) was actively being recruited as of 2026. It has no proprietary technology product and no AI/ML capability — the deliverable is human sitting time. Day-to-day operations are led by Manager Maureen Tossi under a Board of Trustees chaired by James Ross.

Flexicare funds its £70,000-£75,000 annual running costs entirely through donations and fundraising rather than service fees; the service is 100% free to registered families. Revenue streams include individual one-time and recurring donations (with Gift Aid recovery via HMRC), fundraising events such as the annual 'Night in the Museum' classical concert at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History and the Community Walk, corporate partnerships and sponsorship (e.g., Waitrose, Tesco, MV Kelly), retail affiliate income via Easyfundraising, and grants from bodies including the National Lottery, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Community Foundation, and True Colours Trust. Online giving is processed through Enthuse and PayPal, with event fundraising pages hosted on JustGiving. The charity celebrated its 40th anniversary in July 2025 and won the Oxfordshire Care Awards 'Care Team Award' in 2023.

Name

Flexicare (Oxford & Abingdon)

Legal name

Flexicare (Oxford and Abingdon)

Website

https://flexicare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Flexicare (Oxford and Abingdon) is a registered charity providing a free, flexible home sitting service for families with disabled children across Oxfordshire, funded entirely by donations and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Respite Care Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (6244), Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Respite Care for Families of Children with Disabilities (HSAAAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Caregiver Relief & Coaching (Respite-Integrated) (HSABAGAJ), Weekend / On-Call Nanny Services (HSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Specialized sitting service
• Disability respite care
• Charity childcare Oxfordshire
• Family support services
• Volunteer sitter program

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxfordshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Primary funding source from individual donations, both one-time and recurring. Gift Aid scheme allows UK taxpayers to boost donations by 25p per £1 donated. Online donation platform via Enthuse and PayPal.
2. Fundraising Events: Annual events including concerts, community walks, and garden openings generate funds while raising awareness. Ticket sales and participant fundraising pages through JustGiving.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations, employee engagement programs, event sponsorship, and in-kind contributions from businesses.
4. Easyfundraising: Retail partnerships through Easyfundraising platform where registered retailers make small donations when customers shop through the Flexicare link.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Flexicare (Oxford and Abingdon) provides a free, fully flexible, specialized sitting service for families with children with disabilities across Oxfordshire. Trained volunteer sitters and coordinators provide care in family homes or community settings, typically up to four hours per session, two or three times a month, enabling parents to attend appointments, rest, and engage in ordinary family life. The service is delivered free of charge to families and funded entirely through donations, fundraising events, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

Flexicare (Oxford & Abingdon) operates as a single, unified charitable service offering a specialized sitting service for families with children with disabilities. The core offering is the free, flexible home sitting service, supplemented by a volunteer sitter program for recruitment and training of caregivers, Gift Aid donation processing, and various fundraising event modules including the annual Night in the Museum concert and community walks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialized Sitting Service A free, fully flexible, specialized sitting service for families with children with disabilities. Provides up to four hours of sitting at a time, two or three times a month, for families across Oxfordshire.
• Volunteer Sitter Program Recruitment and training of volunteer sitters and double-up sitters to provide care for disabled children and their siblings in family homes or community settings.
• Gift Aid Declaration UK tax recovery service allowing donors to increase their donations by 25p per pound through Gift Aid declarations submitted to HMRC.
• Coordinator Services Part-time coordinator positions that arrange sits, assess new families, recruit volunteers, and liaise with statutory and voluntary agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Families can attend church, appointments, weddings, and other life events they would otherwise miss
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 minor and core.

• EasyfundraisingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlexicare is registered with Easyfundraising, turning everyday online shopping into free donations. Over 7,000 retailers are registered with the platform, which makes small donations to Flexicare when customers shop through their link.
• MV KellyminorOthersSponsored Flexicare's 40th Birthday Party in July 2025, providing practical support on the day
• OCVA (Oxfordshire Council for Voluntary Action)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlexicare is an OCVA member and participates in their Volunteer Recruitment Fair annually
• University of Oxford Museum of Natural HistorycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for annual 'Night in the Museum' classical concert events, providing the iconic venue for fundraising events
• Ivel TriocoreOthersLongstanding performing partner at annual concerts, including Catherine Wilmers, Jill Morton, and other members who have performed multiple times for Flexicare events
• National Garden SchememinorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlexicare supporters open their gardens as part of the National Garden Scheme, with funds from refreshments and plant sales raised for Flexicare
• Snells Hall, East HendredminorOthersVillage hall venue used for annual Community Walk start/finish point

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Home-Start Oxfordshire: Oxfordshire-based family support charity using trained volunteers to help families with young children through home-visiting. Comparable as a locally rooted Oxfordshire volunteer-led family support charity, though focused on early-years families rather than children with disabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Contact (for families with disabled children): UK-wide charity supporting families with disabled children through advice, helplines, and family services. Comparable as a similarly mission-driven provider serving the same beneficiary population (families of disabled children) in the UK, but operating at national scale rather than a single county.
• Sense (for disabled people): National UK disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities, including children, through services, advocacy, and tailored support. Comparable because it serves overlapping beneficiary groups (disabled children and families) but at national scale and with a broader services portfolio.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting conditions and their families, supporting palliative and respite care. Comparable as a sector umbrella and direct-service provider addressing the respite needs of families of severely disabled/ill children.

Emerging players

• REACH (disability support): UK charity supporting disabled children and their families through grants, equipment, and information services. Comparable as a smaller UK charity addressing unmet family needs around disability, similar in scale and fundraising approach to Flexicare.

Direct peers

• Family Fund: UK's largest grant-giving charity for disabled and seriously ill children, providing goods and family breaks. Comparable as a UK charity materially improving quality of life for families raising disabled children, with a similar donor-supported funding base.
• Whizz-Kidz: UK charity providing mobility equipment and wheelchair services to disabled children and young people. Comparable as a UK charity serving disabled children and their families through both direct services and a volunteer/donor-supported operating model.
• Rainbow Trust Children's Charity: UK charity providing practical and emotional support to families with a seriously ill child, including siblings, through family support workers. Directly comparable in delivering volunteer-led, in-home practical support to families with a disabled/ill child, though focused on illness rather than disability.
• Newlife Charity: UK charity supporting disabled and terminally ill children, including equipment grants and family support services. Comparable as a UK disability-focused children's charity that combines direct family services with fundraising-driven operations.
• KIDS (disabilities charity): UK charity delivering play, leisure, and disability support services for disabled children and young people, including short breaks and direct support. Directly comparable as a specialist provider of short-break/respite-style services for disabled children and their families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/373108456160768
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flexicare-oxford-abingdon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Flexicare (Oxford & Abingdon)