What Redthread Youth Limited does

Redthread Youth Limited is a UK-registered charity (number 1051260) and company limited by guarantee founded in 1995 and headquartered in London. The organization pioneered the model of embedding specialist youth workers directly within NHS hospital emergency departments to engage children and young people aged 11-25 at the "reachable moment" of crisis. Its core service, the Youth Violence Intervention Programme (YVIP), operates across 13 hospitals in London, Birmingham, and Nottingham, and is supplemented by a Young Women's Service, a Counselling Service, a Mental Health Youth Work Service, a Young Adult and Adolescent Liver Service in partnership with King's College Hospital, the Social Switch Project (online harms training and digital employability), and professional training programmes. In 2023, Redthread supported 1,925 children and young people, with reported outcomes including a 50% reduction in A&E re-attendance, an £4.90 social return per £1 invested, and measurable improvements in safety, exploitation risk, and engagement with education and employment.

The organization is funded almost entirely through grants and statutory commissioning rather than commercial revenue. Primary funding sources include London's Violence Reduction Unit and the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), individual NHS trusts, Integrated Care Boards, the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership, and a portfolio of charitable foundations including Barrow Cadbury Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, Charles Hayward Foundation, and King's College Hospital Charity. In August 2024, Redthread completed a merger with Catch22 Charity Limited, becoming part of the Catch22 group while retaining its established brand and operational model. The 73-person organization operates on a trauma-informed, consent-based methodology and does not charge service users; all services are free to young people.

Name

Redthread Youth Limited

Legal name

Redthread Youth Limited

Website

https://redthread.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Redthread Youth Limited is a UK charity that embeds specialist youth workers in NHS hospital emergency departments to support 11-25 year olds affected by violence, exploitation, and trauma, operating across 13 hospitals in London, Birmingham, and Nottingham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Intervention and Hospital-Based Charitable Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Hospital youth work
• Violence intervention services
• Youth support programmes
• Trauma-informed counselling
• NHS partnership services

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Statutory/Government Funding: Funded by NHS trusts, Violence Reduction Units, Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), and other government bodies for delivering youth intervention services in hospitals
2. Charitable Grants and Trusts: Funding from foundations and charitable trusts including Barrow Cadbury Trust, Charles Hayward Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and others
3. Individual Donations and Philanthropy: Donations from individual philanthropists and charitable foundations supporting transformative youth work

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Redthread delivers specialist youth work services embedded within NHS hospital emergency departments and other health settings in England. Youth workers engage children and young people aged 11–25 affected by violence, exploitation, grooming, mental and physical health issues, and modern slavery at the moment of crisis (the "reachable moment"), then provide trauma-informed, consent-based, long-term support across hospital and community settings. The charity also trains NHS and healthcare professionals, conducts evidence-based research, and runs employability and online-harm programmes in partnership with Catch22.

Product overview

Redthread Youth Limited is a national charity delivering transformative youth work services primarily embedded in hospital emergency departments and health settings across England. The organisation operates a portfolio of specialist services including the Youth Violence Intervention Programme (YVIP) as its core offering, supplemented by the Young Women's Service, Counselling Service, Mental Health Youth Work Service, and Young Adult and Adolescent Liver Service. The organisation also delivers The Social Switch Project in partnership with Catch22, and provides professional training programmes. All services operate on a trauma-informed, consent-based model focused on supporting 11-25 year olds affected by exploitation, violence, mental and physical health issues, grooming, and modern slavery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Violence Intervention Programme (YVIP) A pioneering model that places specialist youth workers directly in NHS hospital A&E departments across London and Birmingham to engage young people affected by violence, exploitation, and trauma at the moment of crisis (the "reachable moment") and provide ongoing trauma-informed, consent-based support.
• Young Women's Service Specialist service operating in four London hospital A&Es that provides long-term relationship-based support (up to a year) to girls and young women aged 11–25 affected by exploitation, grooming, sexual and criminal exploitation, violence, domestic abuse, and modern slavery.
• Counselling Service Trauma-informed counselling service for 11–25 year olds in Birmingham, providing tailored mental health support for young victims of violence and exploitation, with no limit on session numbers.
• Mental Health Youth Work Service Specialist youth workers embedded in A&E departments alongside NHS staff, providing emotional and practical support to young people presenting with self-harm concerns, both during the hospital visit and after discharge into the community.
• Young Adult and Adolescent Liver Service Partnership with the Children's Liver Unit at King's College Hospital providing holistic youth work support—including inpatient, outpatient, and peer-to-peer mentoring—to young liver patients aged 12–25 with serious liver conditions, including transplant patients.
• The Social Switch Project Partnership programme with Catch22 delivering online harms training for professionals, parents, and trusted adults alongside a digital skills employability programme for 16–30 year olds; Redthread delivers the violence against women and girls components. Funded by London's Violence Reduction Unit.
• Training Programmes Training programmes for NHS staff and other professionals—delivered in-person and online—to help them better identify, refer, and support children and young people affected by violence, exploitation, and trauma in clinical and health settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children and young people who engaged with YVIP were around 50% less likely to re-attend A&E compared to those who didn't engage
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Catch22coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 August 2024Merger in progress enabling Redthread to preserve vital youth work services as part of the Catch22 group. Both organizations share a mission in building a society where people can live healthy, safe, and happy lives. Redthread operates under its established brand within the Catch22 group.
• Catch22 (Social Switch Project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2023Partnership to deliver the Social Switch Project, funded by London's Violence Reduction Unit. The programme supports young people into education, training and employment opportunities while training professionals on threats of online harm. Redthread delivers violence against women and girls components.
• London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerVRU funds Redthread's Youth Violence Intervention Programme at multiple London hospitals and the Social Switch Project. Investment of £7.8 million announced to support programmes embedding youth workers in A&E departments.
• Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partner funding violence reduction programmes including YVIP and Social Switch Project through London's Violence Reduction Unit.
• Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care BoardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStatutory funding partner for services in Birmingham area.
• West Midlands Violence Reduction PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional VRP funding partnerships in the West Midlands.
• Children's Liver Unit at King's College HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2024, Redthread began working in partnership with the Children's Liver Unit at King's College Hospital. Redthread uses youth work expertise to build holistic support networks for young liver patients while in hospital and after discharge.
• Mental Health TrustsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with mental health services for young people presenting with self-harm, working as part of multi-disciplinary teams.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, supporting children affected by exploitation, abuse, and poverty across a broad portfolio of services. A broad incumbent offering overlapping youth work and safeguarding capabilities, though not focused specifically on hospital-embedded intervention.
• NSPCC: UK's leading child protection charity running national helplines, counselling, and direct services for children at risk of abuse and exploitation. Overlaps with Redthread's safeguarding mission at scale, though delivered through different service channels.
• YMCA England & Wales: Large UK charity providing accommodation, health, and wellbeing services for young people, including supported housing and youth work. Comparable youth-focused mission, though anchored in housing rather than hospital-embedded intervention.

Direct peers

• St Giles Trust: UK charity that supports disadvantaged young people and adults affected by poverty, violence, and the criminal justice system. Operates hospital-based caseworkers in A&E departments in several UK cities (e.g. SOS+ service), directly comparable to Redthread's YVIP model.
• Khulisa: UK charity delivering therapeutic and mentoring interventions for young people affected by violence, exploitation, and crime, including in-custody and community settings. Comparable mission, beneficiary cohort, and intervention methodology to Redthread.
• The Children's Society: National UK charity supporting disadvantaged children and young people, including victims of exploitation, county lines, and trafficking. Redthread's Operations Director (Emma Norman) was previously Youth Participation Manager at The Children's Society, evidencing direct operational overlap.
• Catch22: Redthread's parent organisation and direct operational peer. Catch22 delivers a wide range of youth, family, and community services across the UK including child exploitation, missing from home, county lines, and emotional wellbeing — directly overlapping with Redthread's young people, families, and communities portfolio.

Regional players

• Safer London Foundation: London-based charity focused on preventing youth violence and supporting young people affected by gang-related harm. Operates in similar London boroughs to Redthread and shares the youth violence intervention mission.
• London Youth: Membership body for youth organisations in London, supporting youth clubs and community organisations. Touches Redthread's work through overlapping regional funding and beneficiary networks in London.

Emerging players

• StreetDoctors: UK charity training young people at risk of violence in emergency life-saving skills, often delivered through hospital and healthcare settings. Smaller and narrower in scope, but operates in a directly comparable health/youth violence intervention space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Redthreadyouth

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 Redthread Youth Limited