Off The Record

Youth Mental Health Servicestalkofftherecord.org

Off The Record is a UK charity founded in 1994 that delivers free mental health counselling to young people aged 11–25 across Croydon, Merton, and Sutton. It combines in-person sessions, an online counselling platform, school-based MHST teams, and targeted programmes for refugees, young carers, and gang-affected youth, funded via NHS contracts and grants.

Company typePrivate
Founded1994
HeadquartersCroydon, United Kingdom
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Off The Record does

Off The Record (OTR) is a UK registered charity founded in 1994 in Croydon, South West London, delivering free, confidential mental health counselling to young people aged 11–25. The organisation operates across three boroughs — Croydon, Merton, and Sutton — and runs a portfolio of specialised programmes including the CHRIS service for young people affected by gangs, county lines and exploitation; Refugee Support; Young Carers; and NHS-commissioned Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) embedded in local schools. Community outreach is delivered in partnership with the BAME Barriers Network and Croydon BME Forum, targeting under-served demographics.

OTR's service model blends in-person one-to-one counselling with an online counselling platform launched in 2013 — among the first of its kind in the UK youth sector — which handled 261 new online registrations and approximately 1,000 online sessions annually. Pre-pandemic, the charity delivered 1,200+ referrals and 7,000+ in-person sessions per year. The online platform is a human-counsellor delivery channel rather than an AI-mediated service.

The charity's revenue model is funder-mediated rather than user-paid: services are free at the point of use, with income drawn from NHS clinical commissioning contracts (notably via South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust), foundation grants (including Comic Relief), corporate philanthropy (e.g., the 2019 GSK Impact Award, £30,000), and individual donations. As of 2024, OTR employed nearly 70 staff and is undergoing a generational leadership transition following the retirement of founder Karen after 30 years.

Off The Record firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Off The Record
Legal name: Off the Record Youth Counselling Charity
Website: https://talkofftherecord.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1994
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: Off The Record is a UK charity founded in 1994 that delivers free mental health counselling to young people aged 11–25 across Croydon, Merton, and Sutton. It combines in-person sessions, an online counselling platform, school-based MHST teams, and targeted programmes for refugees, young carers, and gang-affected youth, funded via NHS contracts and grants.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Off The Record industry classification

Industry

Product category: Youth Mental Health Services
NAICS: Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142), Child and Youth Services (62411)
SIC: Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)
akta.pro primary industry: Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)
akta.pro secondary industries: Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAF), School Counseling Services (EDAJAIAA)

Keywords

Youth counselling services
Mental health support
Charity counselling
Young people wellbeing
Community mental health

Where Off The Record is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Croydon
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

Off The Record business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Charitable Donations: Organization accepts donations through JustGiving platform for charitable support
NHS and Health Contracts: Receives NHS and health service contracts for providing mental health services; received new health contract in Merton to expand services
Foundation Grants: Received £30,000 GSK Impact Award grant plus expert support from The King's Fund; Comic Relief funding for Thriving Not Just Surviving programme

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Freemium	Others	Free counselling services for young people

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Off The Record product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Off The Record Youth Counselling is a registered charity (Charity No. 1051144; Company No. 2987817) that provides free mental health counselling and wellbeing support to young people aged 11-25 across South West London, including the boroughs of Croydon, Merton, and Sutton. Founded in 1994, the organization delivers one-to-one counselling, drop-in sessions, and group work through a team of approximately 70 staff and volunteers.

Product overview

Off The Record is a mental health charity providing a portfolio of counselling and support services for young people aged 11-25 in Croydon, Merton, and Sutton. The service operates as a unified offering combining face-to-face counselling at multiple locations with an online counselling platform (launched 2013), a telephone support line, and community-based programmes including Youth Ambassadors, community development workers, and group sessions (Off My Chest, Men's Group). Specialized services include CHRIS for those affected by serious youth violence, refugee support, young carers support, and Mental Health Support Team (MHST) activities. The organization celebrated 30 years of service in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Online Counselling Service: Free online counselling platform allowing young people to connect via text, phone, or video.
Youth Ambassadors
The Chill Space
CHRIS
Men's Group
Off My Chest (OMC)

Products and services

Free One-to-One Counselling
Drop-in Counselling Sessions
Group Work and Wellbeing Workshops Facilitated group programmes and workshops addressing mental health and wellbeing topics for young people aged 11-25 in South West London.

Quantifiable outcome

Over 1,200 referrals and 7,000+ counselling sessions per year
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use Off The Record

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Off The Record technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Off The Record partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered key, standard and minor.

Croydon BME ForumkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership on Money on My Mind series - a finance and wellbeing series designed to support young people through the cost-of-living crisis, informed by community survey findings
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLSTG)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS mental health trust partnership providing oversight and integration with statutory mental health services
NHS DigitalstandardOthersPart of national NHS programmes for monitoring and improving mental health services; Off the Record shares anonymized data about service users and wellbeing questionnaires with NHS Digital
The King's FundkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity providing expert support and leadership development to GSK Impact Award winners
Simply KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPersonal development sessions with guest speakers attached to weekly Simply Kids' football sessions as part of Thriving Not Just Surviving programme
Well Versed InkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoetry workshop facilitators at Shrublands Community Centre as part of empowerment activities
Rap TherapyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner12-week rap therapy workshop delivered at Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Youth Centre as part of mental health support programme
I'mPossibleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFitness and Thai boxing-based self-defence video content partnership for Kicking Through Covid virtual sessions
BAME Barbers NetworkkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of barbers delivering Trim 'N' Grin events, mental health training, active listening workshops, and blood pressure testing in barbershops across Croydon and Merton
Sutton AlliancekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with statutory and voluntary sector partners in Sutton to offer targeted support around particular issues such as exam stress during summer exam periods
Croydon Social PrescribingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health awareness sessions organized alongside Croydon Social Prescribing for groups of local barbers
Wimbledon FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Wimbledon-branded merchandise for community engagement contest

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Off The Record competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Place2Be: UK children's mental health charity providing counselling and emotional support primarily in schools. Comparable youth counselling and mental health focus, with overlapping school partnership model.
Kooth: UK-listed digital mental health platform providing anonymous, self-referral text-based counselling to young people aged 10-25. Direct competitor in the same online youth counselling category as Off The Record's 2013 online platform.
The Mix: UK charity providing free, confidential multi-channel support (helpline, webchat, peer communities) for under-25s on mental health and related issues. Overlaps directly with Off The Record's text, phone, and online counselling proposition.

Emerging players

Stem4: UK charity supporting teenage mental health through apps, education, and resources. Comparable youth mental health focus with a digital-first approach that intersects with Off The Record's online counselling.

Broad incumbents

Mind: UK-wide mental health charity providing information, support, and local services including for young people. Comparable in mental health mission but serves all ages with a much broader national portfolio.
Anna Freud Centre: UK charity delivering mental health treatment, training, and research for children, young people, and families. Comparable in clinical and counselling focus but operates at a larger national and research scale.
Samaritans: UK-wide charity providing 24/7 emotional support by phone, email, and letter. Comparable in confidential emotional support delivery but serves all ages and is not youth-specific.
YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, with a national remit spanning campaigning, parent helpline, and youth participation. Comparable mission to Off The Record but operates at a national advocacy and information scale rather than direct borough-level service delivery.
Childline (NSPCC): Free, confidential helpline and online support for children and young people up to 19, run by the NSPCC. Operates nationally with comparable phone, online, and counselling channels for under-25s.

Others

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust: Statutory NHS mental health provider in Off The Record's catchment and named partner. Comparable in youth mental health delivery but as a public sector commissioner and referrer rather than a competing charity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Off The Record financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Off The Record leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Off The Record funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Off The Record M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Off The Record

What does Off The Record do?

Is Off The Record a public or private company?

Off The Record is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Off The Record founded?

Off The Record was founded in 1994. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Off The Record based?

Off The Record is headquartered in Croydon, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does Off The Record make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are NHS and Health Contracts and foundation Grants.

Who are Off The Record's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Place2Be, Kooth and The Mix. Stem4 is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Mind, Anna Freud Centre, Samaritans, YoungMinds and Childline (NSPCC). South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust is listed as an others.

Does Off The Record have an API?

No public API is recorded for Off The Record.

What industry is Off The Record in?

Off The Record's product category is Youth Mental Health Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFACAL, Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services), with a secondary code of BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 621330 and its SIC code is 8000.