HACRO in Herts

What HACRO in Herts does

HACRO – The Hertfordshire Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders (registered charity number 1163064) is a UK non-profit operating for over 50 years from St Albans, Hertfordshire. The organization delivers the TurnAround personal development programme for ex-offenders, structured around four service pillars: Mentoring, Activities (boxing, carpentry, fishing, music, tennis, social projects, wellbeing, and relationships), Skills 4 Life, and Parenting. It also runs a Small Grants Programme that supports aligned community initiatives. Primary beneficiaries are ex-offenders, families of offenders, and potential offenders in Hertfordshire; all services are delivered free of charge.

The operating model is community-led: participants reach the programme through criminal-justice referrals (probation services, prisons), self-referral, and community word-of-mouth. Service delivery is human-led and asset-light, relying on trained volunteer mentors, structured activity sessions, and partnerships with Hertfordshire statutory bodies. There is no proprietary technology product, no digital platform sold to customers, and no AI/ML capability disclosed. The technology footprint is limited to standard digital marketing surfaces — a WordPress-based website (hacro.org), Facebook, Instagram, and X.

HACRO has 12 employees and is funded entirely through charitable mechanisms: individual donations via JustGiving and the Giving Machine, membership fees, legacy gifts, trust/foundation grants, and a Small Grants Programme. The charity is governed by a board of trustees and operates as an independent nonprofit with no parent entity, no institutional investors, and no acquisitions or material restructuring events disclosed in the available data. Geographic scope is restricted to Hertfordshire, England.

Name

HACRO in Herts

Legal name

HACRO – The Hertfordshire Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders

Website

https://hacro.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HACRO is a registered UK charity delivering the TurnAround personal development programme in Hertfordshire for ex-offenders, families of offenders, and potential offenders through mentoring, structured activities, skills development, and parenting support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offender Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAL

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits

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

Keywords

• Offender rehabilitation services
• Community reintegration programmes
• Criminal justice support
• Charity mentoring services
• Ex-offender reentry support

Headquarters

HQ city

Hertfordshire

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 and Fundraising: HACRO receives charitable donations from individuals through platforms such as JustGiving and the Giving Machine (which enables donations at no cost through online shopping). The organization also accepts legacy gifts.
2. Membership Fees: The organization offers a membership programme allowing supporters to become members, providing a recurring engagement and potential revenue stream.
3. Small Grants Programme: HACRO operates a small grants programme, suggesting they both apply for and potentially administer grant funding from trusts, foundations, and statutory funders.
4. Volunteer Contributions: While volunteers provide their time freely, their involvement enables programme delivery that would otherwise require paid staff resources, serving as an in-kind revenue substitute.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HACRO delivers community-based rehabilitation programmes to offenders, potential offenders and their families across Hertfordshire through its flagship TurnAround personal development programme, supplemented by one-to-one mentoring, structured activities (boxing, carpentry, fishing, music, tennis, social projects), Skills 4 Life training and parenting support. All programmes are provided free of charge to beneficiaries and funded through charitable donations, membership fees and grants.

Product overview

HACRO offers a single unified programme called TurnAround, which is a personal development programme for ex-offenders. This flagship offering is supplemented by dedicated support services including Mentoring, Parenting support, and Skills 4 Life for skills development. The TurnAround programme is complemented by structured Activities (Tennis, Fishing, Social Projects, Music, Boxing, Carpentry, Wellbeing, and Relationships) that provide engagement, routine, and skill-building opportunities. HACRO also operates a Small Grants Programme to support related initiatives in the community. All services are focused on supporting offenders, potential offenders, and their families to make positive life changes and reduce reoffending.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TurnAround: A personal development programme that provides support, purpose, engagement, structure and opportunity to ex-offenders in their journey back to the community.

Products and services

• TurnAround Personal Development Programme A flagship personal development programme that provides support, purpose, engagement, structure and opportunity to ex-offenders in their journey back to the community. Designed to reduce reoffending through comprehensive rehabilitation support including mentoring, activities, skills development and parenting support. Targeted at individuals released from custody in Hertfordshire.
• One-to-One Mentoring One-to-one mentoring support provided to offenders and ex-offenders to guide them through their rehabilitation journey and help them make positive life changes. Delivered by trained volunteers and staff within the TurnAround programme.
• Skills 4 Life Skills development programme helping participants build practical life skills and capabilities to support their reintegration into society. Targeted at ex-offenders participating in the TurnAround programme.
• Parenting Support Parenting support services for offenders, potential offenders and their families to strengthen family relationships and support positive changes. Targeted at parents involved in or at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system in Hertfordshire.
• Structured Activities Programme Structured activities encompassing Tennis, Fishing, Social Projects, Music, Boxing, Carpentry, Skills Development, Wellbeing and Relationships. Designed to provide engagement, routine and skill-building opportunities for participants within the TurnAround programme.
• Small Grants Programme Small grants available to support initiatives related to offender rehabilitation and crime reduction in Hertfordshire. Targeted at community organisations and projects aligned with HACRO's charitable objectives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants report improved mental health and reduced anxiety
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Giving MachineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGiving Machine is a charitable donation platform that enables supporters to raise free donations for HACRO through their online shopping. When supporters make purchases from participating retailers, a percentage is donated to HACRO at no cost to the shopper.
• JustGivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJustGiving is an online fundraising platform that enables individuals to make donations to HACRO. The organization maintains a JustGiving page for receiving charitable contributions from donors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Prison Reform Trust: UK independent charity working to create a just, humane and effective penal system, with a focus on reducing reoffending. Comparable advocacy and rehabilitation mission at national scale.
• Together for Mental Wellbeing: UK charity (formerly Richmond Fellowship and St Giles Trust combined) supporting people with mental health needs, including those in contact with the criminal justice system. Overlapping wellbeing and rehabilitation themes though broader beneficiary base.
• Catch22: Large UK social business delivering offender rehabilitation, education and youth services across multiple regions. Operates in the same criminal justice space but at national scale and with broader social-services portfolio.

Direct peers

• Unlock: UK charity providing information, advice and advocacy for people with convictions, their families and employers. Directly comparable beneficiary base (people with criminal convictions and their families) and a similar specialist nonprofit operating model.
• User Voice: User-led charity that empowers people with lived experience of the criminal justice system to influence policy and service design. Comparable focus on ex-offender voices and rehabilitation outcomes.
• NACRO: National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders — the UK's largest charity working with ex-offenders, offering housing, education, training and resettlement support. Directly comparable mission to HACRO's TurnAround programme and overlapping beneficiary base.
• Offploy: UK social enterprise supporting ex-offenders into sustainable employment through coaching, training and employer engagement. Comparable Skills 4 Life-style reintegration mission and similar beneficiary segment.
• Clinks: UK membership body supporting voluntary sector organisations working with offenders and their families. Directly comparable mission to HACRO and a key sector infrastructure partner for charities of HACRO's size and focus.

Others

• Probation Service (HM Prison and Probation Service): Statutory probation body that refers offenders to community rehabilitation providers such as HACRO. Not a competitor for service delivery but the key referral partner and a large potential commissioning counterparty.

Regional players

• Hampton Trust: Southern England-focused charity delivering rehabilitation programmes for offenders and people with problematic behaviours. Comparable regional-rehabilitation operator model though geographically distinct from Hertfordshire.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hacroinherts
• Facebookfacebook.com/HACROHERTS
• Instagraminstagram.com/hacro_herts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hacro

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 HACRO in Herts