Birth Companions

What Birth Companions does

Birth Companions is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1120934) founded in 1996 in Holloway, London, that supports pregnant women, mothers, and babies facing severe disadvantage. It operates three interconnected pillars: direct support services (community one-to-one support in London and South East England, prison-based support arranged directly with prisons, a 24-hour birth phone line, and community mother and baby groups); the Lived Experience Programme, which embeds women with direct experience of disadvantage in co-designing services, policy, and research; and the Birth Companions Institute, which drives research, policy, and campaigning for systemic change. The charity was founded in response to the outcry over women being shackled during labour at Holloway Prison and has built three decades of specialist expertise in trauma-informed support for women facing poverty, housing insecurity, immigration challenges, racism, trauma, abuse, criminal justice involvement, and children's social care contact.

Name

Birth Companions

Legal name

Birth Companions

Website

https://birthcompanions.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birth Companions is a UK charity founded in 1996 that provides trauma-informed support to pregnant women, mothers, and babies facing severe disadvantage, through direct services, a Lived Experience Programme, and the Birth Companions Institute driving policy and research for systemic change.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maternal and perinatal support services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Lactation, Postpartum & Perinatal Support Services (HLAFAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Maternal/Newborn & Postpartum Skilled Home Visits (HSABACAK)

Keywords

• Maternal support services
• Perinatal care charity
• Pregnancy advocacy
• Prison perinatal support
• Birth rights charity

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Birth Companions relies on donations from individuals and organizations to fund their support services, advocacy work, and research activities.
2. Grant Funding: The organization receives grant funding from government programs (VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, NHS) and foundations such as The Rayne Foundation to support specific projects and programs.
3. Volunteer Contributions: A dedicated team of volunteer birth companions provides direct support services, bringing love, care, and compassion to every interaction, extending the organization's reach without direct revenue cost.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Birth Companions is a UK charity that delivers free practical, emotional and advocacy support to pregnant women and mothers facing severe disadvantage during the first 1001 days, including dedicated services for women in prison and women under probation supervision. Its Lived Experience Programme places women with direct experience at the centre of service design and policy, while the Birth Companions Institute conducts research, publishes Spotlight reports and Birth Charters, and campaigns for systemic change across health, social care, criminal justice and housing systems.

Product overview

Birth Companions is a women's charity offering a portfolio of support services, programmes, and policy initiatives focused on achieving better care, equity and justice for pregnant women, mothers and babies. The core offering consists of Support Services (including prison-based and community support), the Lived Experience Programme, and the Birth Companions Institute. The Institute produces publications including Spotlight Reports, Birth Charters, and guidance documents. The organisation also runs campaigns including the '1001 Days in the CJS' campaign and is co-designing a National Integrated Care Framework with partners. Birth Companions does not operate as a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Birth Companions Institute: The institute draws together learning and expertise from the Lived Experience Programme, services, and network of partners to achieve systemic and structural change for the benefit of women, children and society.
• Lived Experience Programme

Products and services

• Support Services Free, relationship-led one-to-one and group support for pregnant women and mothers experiencing disadvantage, including emotional and practical support during labour and birth, home and hospital visits, a 24-hour birth phone line, community mother and baby groups, and infant feeding support. Available at no cost to beneficiaries.
• Community Support for Women with Criminal Justice Involvement Specialist, relationship-led one-to-one support for pregnant women and new mothers under probation supervision, delivered in partnership with Advance across London and South East England. Covers pregnancy, birth, early motherhood, pregnancy loss and separation.
• Prison-Based Support Services Emotional, practical and advocacy support arranged directly with individual prisons across the UK for pregnant women and mothers of dependent children in custody, including support around birth and access to Mother and Baby Units.
• Lived Experience Programme A programme that empowers women with lived experience of disadvantage and inequity during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood to shape services, policy and research, raising voices and expectations across the sector.
• Birth Companions Institute A division of Birth Companions that draws together learning and expertise from the Lived Experience Programme, services and partner networks to achieve systemic and structural change through research, policy and campaigning, producing Spotlight reports, Birth Charters and consultation responses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Influenced Sentencing Council to include pregnancy and early motherhood as mitigating factors in sentencing guidelines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Croydon Health ServicessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing clinical expertise to the study on healthcare barriers for women with children's social care involvement.
• AdvancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirth Companions partners with Advance to provide specialist community perinatal support services for women under probation supervision. Birth Companions' coordinator supports women through pregnancy, birth, early motherhood, pregnancy loss and separation in partnership with Advance's WrapAround services across London and South East England.
• Nuffield Family Justice ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the National Integrated Care Framework initiative, contributing research expertise on family justice issues affecting pregnant women and mothers with children's social care involvement.
• King's College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting studies on maternal mortality among women with children's social care involvement, co-authoring publications, and collaborating on the National Integrated Care Framework and CSC conference.
• University of Oxford (NPEU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in MBRRACE-UK maternal mortality surveillance and co-development of National Integrated Care Framework for women with children's social care involvement.
• Lancaster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on research and conferences addressing children's social care involvement during the first 1001 days.
• Research in PracticesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the National Integrated Care Framework initiative, contributing practice expertise on children's social care.
• Parent-Infant FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in National Integrated Care Framework, bringing expertise on parent-infant relationships and early childhood development.
• Maternal Mental Health AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in National Integrated Care Framework, contributing expertise on maternal mental health across systems.
• 4PB Barristers ChamberssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in National Integrated Care Framework, bringing family law expertise to the initiative.
• University of HertfordshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on the Lost Mothers Project with Dr Laura Abbott, examining needs and experiences of women separated from infants due to imprisonment.
• Cambridge University HospitalssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in confidential enquiry on barriers to healthcare access among women with CSC involvement who died in the perinatal period.
• BBC FilmflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to bring LOLLIPOP film into Parliament for screening and panel discussion on maternal imprisonment and children's social care reform. Film backed by BBC Film and British Film Institute.
• Project AccountabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in LOLLIPOP in Parliament event, bringing expertise on accountability and systems change alongside Birth Companions Institute.
• FrontlinesupportingEvents/ conferencesBirth Companions presenting at Frontline's invite-only session on supporting pregnant women and mothers in the early years.
• HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirth Companions participates in HMPPS Think Child Campaign 2026 with a session on pregnancy and early motherhood in the criminal justice system.
• Medical Journalists' AssociationsupportingEvents/ conferencesKirsty Kitchen speaking at MJA Symposium 2026 on health and wellbeing needs of pregnant women under probation supervision.
• For Baby's SakesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative webinar on supporting parents and young people in care proceedings, bringing together expertise on trauma-informed approaches.
• National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPanel partner at LOLLIPOP in Parliament event and collaborator on Breaking Cycles webinar, bringing youth advocacy expertise.
• Clean BreaksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre company that performed Scenes from Lost Mothers at Birth Companions' CSC conference, based on Lost Mothers research project.
• Centre for Crime and Justice StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished Breaking out of the Justice Loop report examining why the justice system fails women and what needs to change.
• National Women's Justice CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner in women's justice advocacy. Collaborated on Breaking out of the Justice Loop and hosted joint webinar on criminal justice reform.
• NHS North East London ICBsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS partner supporting the co-designed support service for women at risk of baby removal, piloted in the London Borough of Hackney.
• Bhatt Murphy SolicitorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal partnership representing women prisoners who were handcuffed during labour. Birth Companions and Bhatt Murphy jointly campaign for overhaul of PPO investigation into restraints during pregnancy and birth.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Home-Start UK: UK charity supporting families with young children through trained volunteers providing home-visiting support. Directly comparable as a volunteer-led, trauma-informed family support charity operating across the UK with a similar beneficiary profile (parents facing disadvantage).
• Maternity Action: UK charity advocating for the rights of pregnant women, new mothers, and their families, with particular focus on disadvantaged groups including asylum seekers and women in detention. Closely comparable as a UK maternal welfare advocacy and support organization with overlapping beneficiary populations.
• Birthrights: UK charity promoting respect for human rights during pregnancy and childbirth through policy, training, and advocacy. Comparable as a UK-based maternal advocacy organization focused on systemic change in maternity care, with similar policy/Institute-style operations.
• Advance: UK charity providing wraparound support for women involved in the criminal justice system. Direct operational partner of Birth Companions through their community perinatal service; closely comparable in serving pregnant women and mothers under probation supervision in London and South East England.
• Women in Prison: UK charity advocating for and supporting women affected by the criminal justice system, with focus on reducing women's imprisonment. Comparable in serving imprisoned pregnant women and mothers, with overlapping advocacy priorities around Mother and Baby Units and sentencing reform.
• Hibiscus Initiatives: UK charity supporting migrant women and their babies in detention and the criminal justice system, with focus on foreign national women. Comparable as a small specialist UK charity serving pregnant women and mothers in custody and on probation, particularly those facing compounded disadvantages.

Broad incumbents

• Tommy's: Major UK pregnancy charity funding research into miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature birth. Comparable in the broader maternal health space with significantly greater scale (multi-million pound income) and research focus, providing benchmark for Birth Companions' potential research-driven growth.
• NCT (National Childbirth Trust): UK-based charity supporting parents through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood via peer support, classes, and information. Comparable as a national pregnancy support charity with overlapping mission, though NCT serves the general population rather than disadvantaged women specifically.
• Prison Reform Trust: UK charity working to create a just, humane, and effective penal system. Comparable as a UK criminal justice advocacy organization that has partnered with Birth Companions and shares overlapping priorities around imprisoned mothers and sentencing reform.

Emerging players

• Parent-Infant Foundation: UK charity promoting parent-infant relationships and early childhood development, particularly for families facing adversity. Strategic partner of Birth Companions within the National Integrated Care Framework, with complementary focus on the first 1001 days.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birth-companions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Birth Companions