Brighton Women's Centre

What Brighton Women's Centre does

Brighton Women's Centre (BWC) is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1003790) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 2601210), founded in November 1974, that delivers integrated, trauma-informed support services to self-identifying women across Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. The organisation operates nine core service lines from its Brighton headquarters at Globe House (3 Morley Street), supplemented by a network of Women's Hubs in Worthing, Eastbourne, and St Leonards. Service portfolio includes: Support Services (women-only drop-in hubs), Women's Counselling and Psychotherapy (12-week sliding-scale therapy), Women's Accommodation Support Service (WASS) for homeless/insecurely housed women, Inspire (criminal justice casework), Women's Peer to Peer Support, Well-being Activities, and the BWC Cornershop food support service; the Ofsted-Outstanding ToyBox Early Years nursery provides affiliated childcare for ages 3 months to 5 years.

The underlying operational model is built on the Trauma-Informed Core Values framework (Trust, Choice, Collaboration, Safety, Empowerment), recognised through the One Small Thing Bronze Trauma Aware quality mark. Service delivery is direct-to-consumer across physical hubs, video (Teams/Zoom), phone, and text channels. In 2024-2025, BWC supported 968 women and 14 children across services, a 14% YoY increase. Funding flows from multiple streams: statutory grants (HMPPS for Inspire, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner for WASS, National Lottery Awards for All, Kent Surrey Sussex Provider Collaborative, Brighton & Hove City Council), individual donations via JustGiving/KindLink/Bankuet, corporate partnerships (Brighton and Hove Buses Santa Bus, Brighton Girl Awards Charity of the Year 2025), and a nominal transactional foodbank fee (£3/8 items, £5/12 items). Core services are free; counselling operates on income-based sliding scale.

Name

Brighton Women's Centre

Legal name

Brighton Women's Centre

Website

https://womenscentre.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brighton Women's Centre is a 50-year-old UK charity delivering trauma-informed, women-centred support services — including housing, counselling, criminal justice diversion, and childcare — to women facing multiple disadvantages across Sussex, Kent, and Surrey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community social services for disadvantaged women

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Women's support services
• Trauma-informed care
• Homelessness support
• Criminal justice diversion
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Funding: Primary revenue from statutory and trust/foundation grants including National Lottery Awards for All (£20,000 for Support Hubs), HM Prisons and Probation Service (Inspire programme), Sussex Police and Probation (Care not Custody), and Kent Surrey Sussex Provider Collaborative. Registered charity receiving ongoing government and philanthropic support.
2. Individual Donations: One-off and regular donations from individuals via JustGiving, KindLink, Bankuet, and other platforms. Corporate payroll giving programmes, legacy gifts in Wills, and in-memory donations.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations, charity of the year partnerships, event sponsorship, matched employee giving, and gifts in kind. Brighton Girl Awards Charity of the Year 2025 recognition driving awareness and support.
4. Social Supermarket Food Support: Low-cost food support service (BWC Cornershop) charging £3 for 8 items or £5 for 12 items to sustain the service while providing affordable access to food for women in need.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Brighton Women's Centre is a registered charity that delivers trauma-informed, women-centred support services to self-identifying women in Sussex and Kent facing multiple disadvantages including homelessness, domestic abuse, criminal justice involvement, mental health difficulties, and poverty. Core offerings include Women's Hubs (drop-in support), counselling and psychotherapy, accommodation casework, peer support groups, criminal justice diversion, and an Ofsted-registered nursery.

Product overview

Brighton Women's Centre operates as a single integrated service organization offering multiple interconnected support programmes for self-identifying women in Sussex. The core offering consists of Support Services (women's hubs), Women's Counselling and Psychotherapy, Women's Accommodation Support Service (WASS), Inspire (criminal justice support), Women's Peer to Peer Support, Well-being Activities, and a Foodbank/Cornershop service. ToyBox Early Years provides Ofsted-registered childcare as a complementary family support service. All services share a common trauma-informed, women-centred approach and operate from safe women-only spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ToyBox Early Years: Ofsted-registered childcare setting providing quality education in a caring and learning environment for children aged 3 months to 5 years. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2023.
• Inspire
• Women's Accommodation Support Service (WASS)
• BWC Cornershop

Products and services

• Support Services (Women's Hubs)
• Women's Counselling and Psychotherapy
• ToyBox Early Years
• Women's Accommodation Support Service (WASS)
• Inspire (Criminal Justice Support)
• Well-being Activities (Release & Reset)
• Women's Peer to Peer Support
• BWC Cornershop (Foodbank)

Quantifiable outcome

• 87.5% of women were securely accommodated as a result of engagement with WASS in West Sussex
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, flagship and core.

• Brighton and Hove Buses (Santa Bus)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Charity partner for Santa Bus 2025. One of 12 local charities benefiting from festive fundraising via collection points on 20 routes over 20 nights.
• Commonweal HousingsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership on feasibility study for safe, trauma-informed accommodation for women leaving prison. Joint research with Homeless Link examining housing needs and proposing pilot scheme for 4-5 self-contained units.
• Homeless LinksupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership on feasibility study for safe accommodation for women leaving prison. Research partner contributing expertise on homelessness and housing support models.
• National Women's Justice CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Founding member of coalition of 26 women's organisations across England and Wales working to drive systemic change to reduce stigmatisation of women in contact with the criminal justice system. BWC is one of five founding organisations. Coalition influencing national justice reforms, commissioning and funding specialist women's services.
• HM Prisons and Probation ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and key partner for Inspire programme supporting women in the criminal justice system. Provides core funding for casework services and collaborative working on reducing reoffending among women offenders. Inspire's women-centred work reduces frequency of offending (Justice Data Lab, 2017).
• Working ChancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation supporting women in contact with the criminal justice system. Collaboration on developing safe, supportive women-only spaces and enhancing access to support services for women offenders.
• Change Grow LivesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Inspire programme providing support for women with complex needs including substance misuse issues. Collaboration on holistic support pathways.
• Brighton and Hove City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner supporting Women's Hubs and broader community services. Partnership on cost of living support, housing, and community mental health initiatives.
• Sussex PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Care not Custody - new Out of Court Diversion scheme for women coming into contact with police. Joint working to intervene before women experience trauma of custody.
• Kent Surrey Sussex Provider CollaborativesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Women's Forensic Mental Health Pathway Pilot consulting with women in forensic secure hospitals in Sussex and Kent areas. Collaboration with Recovery Partners.
• UOK PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of UOK network - community services working together to support good mental health and wellbeing in Brighton, Hove and East Sussex. Referral pathway and collaborative working on mental health support.
• Seaview ProjectsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner venue hosting Women's Hub sessions in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex. Provides space for women to access advice, information and support.
• Eastbourne Blind SocietysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner venue hosting Women's Hub sessions in Eastbourne. Space provider for women's support services in East Sussex.
• NHS Sussex Mental Health LinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral pathway partner for mental health support. NHS 111 option for mental health (Sussex Mental Healthline). Collaborative approach to mental health crisis support.
• Brighton and Hove Wellbeing ServicesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner for mental health support. Direct referral pathway for women needing NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression.
• Women's Services MapsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational directory of over 100 women's centres and 420+ specialist services. Partnership to increase visibility and accessibility of gender-responsive support services across the UK.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation coordinating a network of women's refuges and domestic abuse services across England. Directly comparable as a women-centred, trauma-informed service organisation focused on abuse survivors and aligned with BWC's primary population.
• Solace Women's Aid: London-based charity providing refuge, advocacy, and counselling for women affected by domestic and sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence. Direct peer on women's-only trauma-informed service delivery.
• Together Women: National charity delivering gender-specific support for women in the criminal justice system and the community. Co-founding NWJC partner with BWC and operates on a near-identical model (Inspire equivalent).
• Refuge: UK charity providing specialist support for women and children escaping domestic abuse, including refuges and advocacy. Comparable mission, service mix, and funding model to BWC's housing/counselling/casework portfolio.
• Centre for Women's Justice: UK charity using strategic litigation and advocacy to improve the criminal justice response to women who have experienced violence and abuse. NWJC partner and aligned with BWC's justice-policy engagement.
• The Nelson Trust: Charity supporting women with complex needs including involvement in the criminal justice system, substance misuse, and trauma. Co-founding NWJC partner with an integrated women's-centre service model similar to BWC.
• Anawim: Birmingham-based women's centre offering holistic, trauma-informed support for women involved in sex work, the criminal justice system, or facing multiple disadvantages. Co-founding NWJC partner and a close operational peer to BWC.
• Women in Prison: UK charity supporting women affected by the criminal justice system through advocacy, policy, and direct services. Co-founding NWJC partner with BWC and a direct operational peer for Inspire-style work.

Emerging players

• Agenda (Alliance for Women and Girls at Risk): Alliance of organisations working to improve outcomes for women and girls facing multiple disadvantage including abuse, mental ill-health, and offending. Sits in the same policy and commissioning ecosystem as BWC.
• Imkaan: UK-wide network of specialist Black and minoritised women's organisations addressing violence against women and girls. Comparable women-centred, trauma-specialist service model with strong policy alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsklbJAXcjs9jKGcdHcZAwg
• Facebookfacebook.com/brightonwomenscentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brighton-women's-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/brightonwomenscentre

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Brighton Women's Centre