Youth Access
Youth Access is a UK national membership organization, founded 1975, representing 133 youth advice and counselling services that collectively support nearly 400,000 young people aged 11-25 annually through open-access, community-based support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersEpsom, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Youth Access does
Youth Access is a UK national membership organization (registered charity no. 1042121) founded in 1975 that represents and champions community-based youth advice and counselling services. Its member network comprises 133 organizations delivering open-access, free, confidential support to young people aged 11-25 across the UK, collectively serving 399,876 young people annually and generating 58,061 visits to its national Service Directory. The organization is headquartered in Epsom with a seven-person operating team led by Chief Executive Cassandra Harrison and a Trustee Board chaired by Dan Mobbs. It was previously known as the National Association of Young People's Counselling and Advisory Services (NAYPCAS) before rebranding in 1993.
The organization's core product offering is the Youth Access Model, a framework defining shared purpose, values, and principles for youth advice and counselling services (formerly the YIACS model since 1998), operationalized through the Quality and Improvement Programme. The programme includes the Youth Access Quality Framework (launched 2025) and the aurora digital self-assessment tool (launching 2026-10), which together enable member hubs to score provision against national standards and build action plans. Supporting products include the searchable Service Directory, a Members Area portal hosting toolkits and webinars, five professional networking groups (CEO, Counselling, Communications, Advice and Drop-in, Income Generation), policy and research publications, and a Self-Assessment Tool.
Youth Access operates a diversified non-profit revenue model combining five tiered annual membership subscriptions (scaled to member organization income from under £50k to over £2m), donations, and grant funding from a roster of UK charitable trusts and foundations (The Blagrave Trust, National Lottery Community Fund, Esmee Fairbairn, BBC Children in Need, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Youth Futures Foundation, The Aim Foundation, Global Dialogue) plus statutory funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care. The organization has secured £22 million in statutory funding for frontline member services through sustained policy advocacy and leads the Fund the Hubs coalition with Mind, YoungMinds, BACP, The Children's Society, and other national mental health bodies.
Youth Access firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Youth Access
- Legal name
- Youth Access
- Website
- https://youthaccess.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Youth Access is a UK national membership organization, founded 1975, representing 133 youth advice and counselling services that collectively support nearly 400,000 young people aged 11-25 annually through open-access, community-based support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Youth Access industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Advisory and Counselling Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Benefits Counseling & Financial Literacy for Transition-Age Youth (EDAKANAJ), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)
Keywords
Where Youth Access is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Epsom
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Youth Access business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for youth advice and counselling organizations, tiered based on annual organizational income (under £50k, up to £250k, up to £500k, up to £1-2m, over £2m)
- Donations: Charitable donations from individuals supporting youth mental health and wellbeing services
- Trust and Foundation Funding: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations including The Blagrave Trust, National Lottery Community Fund, Youth Futures Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn, BBC Children in Need, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and The Aim Foundation
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Membership tier for organizations with annual income over £2m |
| Subscription | Annual | Membership tier for organizations with annual income up to £1-2m |
| Subscription | Annual | Membership tier for organizations with annual income up to £500,000 |
| Subscription | Annual | Membership tier for organizations with annual income up to £250,000 |
| Subscription | Annual | Membership tier for organizations with annual income under £50,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Youth Access product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Youth Access is a UK-wide national membership organization that represents and champions youth advice and counselling services. It provides a shared framework (the Youth Access Model), a Quality and Improvement Programme (including the aurora digital self-assessment tool), professional networking groups, a national service directory for young people aged 11-25, and policy advocacy to secure statutory funding for member organizations.
Product overview
Youth Access is a national membership organization that offers a coordinated ecosystem of support services for youth advice and counselling. The core offering is the Youth Access Model framework, which defines standards for youth advice and counselling services. This is complemented by the Quality and Improvement Programme (including the aurora digital tool and self-assessment capabilities), professional networking groups, a members-only resource portal, a national service directory for young people, and publications including policy, practice, and research resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- aurora: A practical digital tool that transforms the Youth Access Quality Framework into a usable roadmap for hubs, enabling services to explore and score their provision, build action plans, and access insights and resources from the wider community.
- Quality and Improvement Programme
Products and services
- Youth Access Model Foundational framework outlining shared purpose, values, and principles for youth advice and counselling services delivered under one roof, used by member organizations to structure their service delivery.
- Quality and Improvement Programme Programme driving growth and development of advice and counselling services with a youth work ethos, including standards, self-assessment tools, improvement resources, and national mapping for member organizations.
- aurora Quality Improvement Tool Digital tool that transforms the Youth Access Quality Framework into a usable roadmap for hubs, enabling services to self-assess, build action plans, and connect with the wider community.
- Staff and Trustee Networks Five professional networks (Advice and Drop-in, CEO, Communications, Counselling, Income Generation) offering spaces for staff with similar responsibilities to connect and share learning among member organizations.
- Members Area Exclusive online portal providing members access to resources including the Local Influencing Library, Evaluation Bitesize videos, webinars, toolkits, workshops, and training materials.
- Service Directory National searchable directory enabling young people to find free, confidential youth advice and counselling services near them, with filters for types of support and location.
- Publications Policy, practice, and research publications including briefings, reports, frameworks, and evaluation findings supporting evidence-based practice in youth advice and counselling.
- Self-Assessment Tool A tool enabling services to evidence and benchmark their provision against Youth Access Quality Framework standards, helping funders and commissioners recognize impactful services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 88 young people participated in Youth Access work in 2025, with 100% feeling heard and included in youth social action pilot
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Youth Access
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Youth Access technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Youth Access partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Scottish Youth ParliamentcorePart of Our Minds Our Future five-year programme coordinating young campaigners across UK nations.
- Children and Young People's Mental Health CoalitioncoreCoalition partner in the Fund the Hubs campaign advocating for national network of early support hubs.
- Centre for Mental HealthcoreCoalition partner in Fund the Hubs campaign; supported Centre 33's flexible support pilot project.
- MindcoreMental health charity coalition partner in Fund the Hubs campaign.
- The Children's SocietycoreCoalition partner in Fund the Hubs campaign and joined forces in 2024 for advocacy work.
- YoungMindscoreYouth mental health charity coalition partner in Fund the Hubs campaign.
- Black ThrivecoreCoalition partner in Fund the Hubs campaign focused on racial equity in mental health.
- BACPcoreBritish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy coalition partner in Fund the Hubs campaign.
- SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health)corePart of Our Minds Our Future programme supporting young people's mental health in Scotland.
- Promo CymrucorePart of Our Minds Our Future programme supporting young people in Wales.
- HafalminorPart of Our Minds Our Future programme (part of Adferiad Recovery) in Wales.
- National Children's Bureau Northern IrelandcorePart of Our Minds Our Future programme supporting young people in Northern Ireland.
- Royal College of PsychiatristsminorProfessional body partner in Our Minds Our Future programme.
- NHS Clinical Commissioners Mental Health NetworkminorPart of Our Minds Our Future programme providing clinical commissioning perspective.
- Centre for Youth ImpactminorLearning partner in Our Minds Our Future programme providing impact measurement expertise.
- YOUnited PartnershipcoreLocal mental health partnership in Cambridge including Centre 33, two voluntary sector providers, and two NHS partners working to ensure easier access to services.
- VCS Leadership Groupcore42nd Street is part of this Greater Manchester group of 20+ organizations working strategically on mental health planning and delivery.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Youth Access competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Youth Agency: UK-wide membership and standards body for youth work and services. Operates a similar network-of-members model for the youth sector and is a natural comparator as both organizations champion community-based youth provision.
- UK Youth: National membership organization for youth organisations across the UK. Closely comparable in mission (community-based youth services), funding model (trusts/foundations), and advocacy posture.
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP): UK membership body for counsellors and psychotherapists. Already a coalition partner with Youth Access on Fund the Hubs, BACP shares the membership-driven model for the counselling profession and overlapping end-user populations.
- The Mix: UK charity providing free, confidential information and support for under-25s on mental health, money, housing, and relationships. Comparable direct-to-young-person service model with similar mission to Youth Access members.
Broad incumbents
- YoungMinds: Leading UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health. A Fund the Hubs coalition partner, YoungMinds operates at significantly larger scale with direct service, campaigns, and policy work that overlaps Youth Access's mission.
- The Children's Society: Major national charity providing direct support to vulnerable children and young people across the UK. Joined forces with Youth Access in 2024 for joint advocacy and serves overlapping beneficiary populations.
- Mind: Largest mental health charity in England and Wales. Coalition partner on Fund the Hubs with overlapping mission on young people's mental health, though operating at much larger scale with direct service delivery.
- NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): Largest membership body for the UK voluntary sector. Comparable membership-driven infrastructure model and represents a broader category of charities including Youth Access's own member organizations.
Emerging players
- Centre for Mental Health: UK mental health think tank and research charity. Coalition partner on Fund the Hubs and provides research/evaluation support — a comparable but smaller-scale, research-led organization with overlapping subject matter focus.
Regional players
- Adferiad Recovery: Welsh mental health charity (parent of Hafal) participating in the Our Minds Our Future programme. Comparable in mission but primarily serving Wales — illustrates how Youth Access's network extends across the UK's devolved health jurisdictions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Youth Access social profiles
Digital presenceYouth Access compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Youth Access financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Youth Access leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Youth Access funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Youth Access M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Youth Access
What does Youth Access do?
Youth Access is a UK-wide national membership organization that represents and champions youth advice and counselling services. It provides a shared framework (the Youth Access Model), a Quality and Improvement Programme (including the aurora digital self-assessment tool), professional networking groups, a national service directory for young people aged 11-25, and policy advocacy to secure statutory funding for member organizations.
Is Youth Access a public or private company?
Youth Access is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Youth Access founded?
Youth Access was founded in 1975.
Where is Youth Access based?
Youth Access is headquartered in Epsom, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Youth Access make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are donations and trust and Foundation Funding.
Who are Youth Access's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Youth Agency, UK Youth, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and The Mix. Broad incumbents are YoungMinds, The Children's Society, Mind and NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations). Centre for Mental Health is listed as an emerging player. Adferiad Recovery is listed as a regional player.
Does Youth Access have an API?
No public API is recorded for Youth Access.
What industry is Youth Access in?
Youth Access's product category is Youth Advisory and Counselling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills), with a secondary code of EDAKANAJ, Benefits Counseling & Financial Literacy for Transition-Age Youth. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8600.