Home-Start Aberdeen

What Home-Start Aberdeen does

Home-Start Aberdeen is a Scottish charitable company limited by guarantee (Charity No. SC012942, Company No. SC280851) and an independent member of the Home-Start UK federation of 180+ family support charities. Founded in 1987 and operating for over 30 years from Langstane House on Dee Street, Aberdeen, the charity provides free, volunteer-led practical and emotional support to approximately 200 families per year with children under the age of five who are experiencing social isolation, bereavement, relationship problems, illness, disability, mental health issues, or financial hardship. Its core service is a home-visiting programme delivered by carefully selected and trained local volunteers, supplemented by group-based programmes (PEER perinatal group, Recipe for Life cookery project, Rising Stars family group, Evening Stars parent support) and crisis/urgent support.

The charity is supported by roughly 8-15 paid staff (per stated firmographic) and 63 volunteers (2023), supplemented by a retail charity shop at 93-99 George Street. Underlying technology is light: a WordPress website with standard marketing integrations (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Mailchimp, JustGiving, Eventbrite, Microsoft Forms for referrals) and remote service-delivery channels (phone, video, WhatsApp, email) added during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no proprietary AI/ML systems; technology is treated as enabling infrastructure rather than a differentiator.

Revenue is derived from a diversified mix: trust and grant funding (National Lottery Community Fund, Fairer Aberdeen Fund, Garfield Weston, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Volant Trust, Inspiring Scotland, Robertson Trust, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund), individual and corporate donations via JustGiving, retail income from the George Street charity shop, a £1-per-line weekly lottery operated through Affinity Lottery, and community fundraising events. Services are free to beneficiaries, and the organisation runs on annual expenditure of approximately £500,000 with an average cost-to-support of ~£1,500 per family.

Name

Home-Start Aberdeen

Legal name

Home-Start Aberdeen

Website

https://homestartaberdeen.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Home-Start Aberdeen is a Scottish charitable company that delivers free, volunteer-led home-visiting and group-based support to approximately 200 vulnerable families per year with children under five in Aberdeen, funded by trust grants, donations, a charity shop, and a weekly lottery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Family support services
• Home-visiting support
• Early childhood charity
• Volunteer mentoring
• Community family welfare

Headquarters

HQ city

Aberdeen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations via JustGiving platform, corporate donations, and community fundraising events including marathon runners, skydivers, and kiltwalk participants.
2. Charity Shop Sales: Retail sales from charity shop at 93-99 George Street selling donated pre-loved items.
3. Trust and Grant Funding: Funding from trusts and foundations including Fairer Aberdeen Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Volant Trust, The National Lottery Community Fund, Robertson Trust, and Inspiring Scotland.
4. Weekly Lottery: Make a Difference Weekly Lottery - part of Affinity Lottery, tickets £1 per line per week with cash prizes including £25,000 top prize.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate support through donations, volunteering, raising awareness, and sharing expertise from companies like Anasuria.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Home-Start Aberdeen is a charitable company that delivers practical and emotional support to vulnerable families with children under five in Aberdeen. Its core service is a volunteer-led home-visiting programme supplemented by group-based programmes (PEER Group, Recipe for Life, Rising Stars, Evening Stars) and crisis/urgent support. The charity also operates a retail charity shop on George Street and a weekly lottery as fundraising streams.

Product overview

Home-Start Aberdeen is a family support charity offering a portfolio of services centered on early intervention support for families with children under 5. The core service is a volunteer-led home-visiting programme providing practical and emotional support. This is supplemented by group-based services including the PEER Group (perinatal support), Recipe for Life (healthy eating project), Rising Stars Family Group, and Evening Stars parent support group. The charity also operates a charity shop on George Street for fundraising and accepts donations through JustGiving and its own weekly lottery (Make a Difference Weekly Lottery in partnership with Affinity Lottery). Communication with supporters is managed through a Mailchimp-powered newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home-Visiting Support
• PEER Group
• Recipe for Life
• Rising Stars Family Group
• Evening Stars
• Crisis/Urgent Support
• Home-Start Aberdeen Charity Shop
• Make a Difference Weekly Lottery

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of 202 supported families felt more resilient and better able to cope with challenges (2021-2022)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anasuria (North Sea operating company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignificant donation to double the Recipe for Life project size and festive season support providing gifts for families at Christmas.
• St Margaret's SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents participated in YPI Scotland, won £3,000 for the charity and continued supporting with food drives and virtual Kiltwalk.
• YPI Scotland (The Wood Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth philanthropy initiative engaging young people in charitable giving, with Home-Start receiving £3,000 from winning presentation.
• Timpson'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleaned donated coats free of charge for the All Wrapped Up Christmas appeal.
• Social BiteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity partner providing lunch boxes during COVID-19 for vulnerable families.
• CFineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity partner providing additional supplies for families during COVID-19.
• ShmuFM (Community Radio)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership during Challenge Poverty Week to highlight the organisation and its work through social media and community radio shows.
• ScotmidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShortlisted for Scotmid's community funding vote, encouraging shoppers to support the charity.
• Good Morning Britain (GMB)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported for the second year in December 2023 with the One Million Minutes campaign.
• ITV's The Masked Singer UKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHome-Start UK chosen as one of three charity partners for the #BehindTheMask campaign to encourage parents to ask for help.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: Large UK children's charity operating family support, early-years, and children's services nationally. Overlaps on family support and home-visiting, but covers a much broader portfolio and geography.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, operating family support, early intervention, and child welfare services nationwide. Same beneficiary population but vastly larger scale and broader service breadth.

Direct peers

• Home-Start Dundee: Another Scottish Home-Start affiliate delivering identical volunteer-led home-visiting support to families with children under 5. Directly comparable scale, programme structure, and funding mix.
• Home-Start UK: National umbrella body for the Home-Start network. Operates the same volunteer-led home-visiting model for families with young children, and provides franchise, training, and brand infrastructure to local branches including Home-Start Aberdeen.
• Family Action: UK charity delivering practical and emotional family support including home-visiting, early-years programmes, and family wellbeing services. Closely comparable mission, service mix, and target population to Home-Start Aberdeen.
• NCT (National Childbirth Trust): UK charity providing perinatal and early-parenthood support including peer groups, feeding support, and parent coaching. Comparable in early-intervention focus on families with very young children, with a national footprint.
• Home-Start Glasgow South & North Lanarkshire: Another Scottish Home-Start affiliate delivering the same home-visiting volunteer model to families with under-5s in a different Scottish region. Directly comparable scope, programme mix, and funding model.

Regional players

• Children 1st: Scottish children's charity operating family support, child wellbeing, and early-years services across Scotland. Comparable in mission and family-support focus, with broader geographic reach and a larger paid staff base.
• Instant Neighbour: Aberdeen-based charity providing family support, baby equipment, and community services. Local competitor with adjacent services including home-start style family support and practical aid; comparable geography and beneficiary profile.
• Aberlour Childcare Trust: Scotland-wide children's charity delivering family support, residential, and early-years services. Overlaps on vulnerable family support and home-visiting programmes, with a larger balance sheet and broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HomeStartAberdeen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/home-start-aberdeen

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Home-Start Aberdeen