MK-ACT (Milton Keynes Women's Aid)

What MK-ACT (Milton Keynes Women's Aid) does

MK-ACT (Milton Keynes Women's Aid) is a registered UK charity (Registered Charity No: 1011284) and company limited by guarantee (Company No: 2249151) that delivers domestic abuse intervention services to adults (16+) and children in Milton Keynes. Founded in 1974 and currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, the charity runs a crisis helpline (0344 375 4307), a webchat and email intake, self-referral and professional referral pathways, and a 28-family refuge accommodation facility that typically houses around 45 children alongside their mothers. Specialist services include Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs), the Fresh Start perpetrator programme, the ILAM behaviour-change programme, a children and young people's team, LGBT+-specific support via partnership with Galop, and a Women In Work employment-readiness project. The organisation reports working with over 100 families daily and supporting more than 2,000 survivors per year.

The operating model is hybrid: a grant-and-commissioning core (Milton Keynes Council commissioning since 2008, plus National Lottery Community Fund, Children In Need, and HM Government grants) supplemented by individual donations, corporate partnerships (Mercedes Benz Financial Services, Softcat, John Lewis Foundation, Santander, Dentons), Gift Aid, and earned income from paid training (£35 per person for workplace awareness training via Zoom, £90 for 3 attendees from the same organisation) and conference tickets (£50 per person for the 2025 Annual Domestic Abuse Conference at The Open University). MK-ACT is a member of Women's Aid Federation of England and partners with Safe Lives, Galop, and a Domestic Abuse Champions network across workplaces and community groups. Operational technology is limited to the Oasis On-Track secure client database and standard communications infrastructure; the organisation holds Cyber Essentials Plus certification for data security.

Go-to-market is regional and direct-to-consumer in nature: survivors access services via helpline, webchat, email, drop-in (iCash, Milton Keynes), and self-referral or professional referral (via Multi-Agency Panels and local authorities). The B2B motion is a paid workplace training and conference channel targeted at employers, HR teams, and frontline professionals (social workers, police, health visitors, housing officers) across Milton Keynes, with a goal of building employer demand for domestic abuse awareness and disclosure support.

Name

MK-ACT (Milton Keynes Women's Aid)

Legal name

Milton Keynes Women's Aid

Website

https://mkact.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MK-ACT is a Milton Keynes-based UK charity (founded 1974) delivering domestic abuse intervention services, including a crisis helpline, a 28-family refuge, perpetrator programmes, and paid workplace training, to survivors and frontline professionals in the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Abuse Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE), Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Domestic abuse support
• Refuge accommodation services
• Crisis intervention services
• Perpetrator intervention programmes
• Workplace awareness training

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate donations, fundraising events (Footsteps to Freedom Cup, Halloween fundraising, Secret Santa Christmas appeal), community fundraising packs, and specific fundraising campaigns like the 50K for 50 years refuge fund.
2. Training Services: Workplace Domestic Abuse Awareness training sessions delivered online via Zoom or in-person at client organizations. Ticket is £35 per person or £90 for 3 attendees from same organization. Customized training packages for businesses and public sector organizations.
3. Conference Revenue: Annual Domestic Abuse Conference tickets at £50 per person including lunch and refreshments, plus booking platform fee.
4. Grant Funding: Commissioned by Milton Keynes Council since 2008 to provide domestic violence services. Support from National Lottery Community Fund, HM Government, Children In Need, and other grant-making bodies.
5. Gift Aid: UK Government Gift Aid scheme allows claiming back 25p tax per £1 donated by UK taxpayers on eligible donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MK-ACT delivers direct domestic abuse intervention services to adults and children in Milton Keynes, centred on a crisis intervention helpline, emergency refuge accommodation for 28 families, and the Fresh Start perpetrator programme. It supplements these core services with the ILAM behaviour-change programme, specialist children and young people's support, bespoke and virtual workplace awareness training, webinars, an annual Domestic Abuse Conference, and specialist LGBT+ domestic abuse support. Operations are funded through donations, grant funding, statutory commissioning by Milton Keynes Council, and paid training and conference income.

Product overview

MK-ACT is a domestic abuse intervention charity providing a comprehensive suite of services to families and individuals affected by domestic violence. The core offering includes a 24-hour crisis helpline, emergency refuge accommodation for 28 families with specialist children and young people's support, and the Fresh Start perpetrator programme. Supporting services include bespoke domestic abuse training for organisations, workplace awareness webinars, a volunteer programme, legal help guidance, LGBT-specific support, and the Domestic Abuse Champions Network. The organisation also operates awareness campaigns including the annual Christmas Secret Santa Appeal and provides specialised programmes like the Women In Work Project. All client data is managed through a secure Oasis On-Track database system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 survivors supported per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Centre for Protecting Women OnlinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Centre for Protecting Women Online for the 2025 Domestic Abuse Conference, providing generous support to make the event possible with inspiring programme of keynote addresses and breakout sessions.
• DentonssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting the 2025 Domestic Abuse Conference, demonstrating shared commitment to creating safer communities.
• SoftcatsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing support to MK ACT services in Milton Keynes.
• Mercedes Benz Financial ServicessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting MK ACT domestic abuse intervention services.
• John Lewis FoundationsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable foundation providing funding support to MK ACT.
• SantandersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting MK ACT through community funding.
• Safe LivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, collaborating on best practices and integrated service delivery.
• Women's Aid Federation EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMK ACT is a member of Women's Aid Federation for England, part of a national network of domestic abuse services.
• The Open UniversitysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for the 2025 Domestic Abuse Conference at their Milton Keynes campus.
• Galop (LGBT+ Anti-Abuse Charity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational LGBT+ domestic abuse charity providing specialist helpline and support services, with referral pathway for MK ACT clients.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Galop: National LGBT+ anti-abuse charity explicitly partnered with MK-ACT for LGBT+ survivor referrals. Provides specialist helpline and casework on domestic abuse, sexual violence, and hate crime, overlapping significantly with MK-ACT's LGBT specialist service.
• SafeLives: UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse. Listed as a strategic partner of MK-ACT and offers overlapping services including training for professionals, multi-agency risk assessment, and survivor support, serving a similar client base.
• Refuge (UK): UK's largest domestic abuse charity, co-runs the National Domestic Violence Helpline with Women's Aid. Directly comparable service portfolio (refuge, helpline, IDVAs, training) and operates a national footprint, making it the closest large-scale peer to MK-ACT.
• Respect: UK charity for perpetrators of domestic abuse and the organisations that work with them. Operates the Respect Phoneline and accredits perpetrator programmes, directly comparable to MK-ACT's Fresh Start and ILAM behaviour-change programmes.
• National Domestic Violence Helpline: 24/7 helpline service co-run by Refuge and Women's Aid and referenced by MK-ACT as a referral route. Direct service overlap as a frontline domestic abuse helpline provider, operating at greater scale and longer hours than MK-ACT's weekday helpline.

Broad incumbents

• Victim Support: Large UK charity providing support to victims of all crime types including domestic abuse. Operates a national helpline and community-based services, broadly comparable as a frontline victim-support provider but with a broader crime remit than MK-ACT's domestic-abuse specialism.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National umbrella body of which MK-ACT is a member. Operates the National Domestic Violence Helpline alongside Refuge and provides member services across a federated network of local domestic abuse charities comparable to MK-ACT.

Regional players

• Scottish Women's Aid: Federated national network providing refuge, helpline, and advocacy services in Scotland. Same operating model as MK-ACT (refuge + IDVA + training) but serving a different national jurisdiction, useful as a regional structural comparable.
• Hestia: London-based charity providing domestic abuse refuge, advocacy, and recovery services. Comparable service mix (refuge, IDVAs, perpetrator programmes) but operates in a different region, serving as a regional comparable to MK-ACT's Milton Keynes model.

Emerging players

• Centre for Protecting Women Online: Online-focused partner organisation collaborating with MK-ACT on the 2025 Domestic Abuse Conference. Adjacent digital-safety and online abuse focus, with partial overlap in the wider domestic abuse support ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mkactcharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/mkactcharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/mkactcharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/milton-keynes-women's-aid

Compliance1 record

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 MK-ACT (Milton Keynes Women's Aid)