Parents in Partnership

What Parents in Partnership does

Parents in Partnership is a UK-based social work agency headquartered in Loughborough, Leicestershire. The company provides specialist parenting assessments, support services, and safeguarding training to Local Authorities, education settings, healthcare providers, and families across England. Its core product is the proprietary ParentAssess framework, a structured assessment tool designed for parents with learning disabilities or additional needs such as mental health issues, trauma, domestic abuse, and substance misuse. ParentAssess uses a traffic light system across five domains over an 8-12 week timeframe, delivered through six sessions plus child observations by SWE-registered social workers. Additional services include In Home Assessments (IHA), providing an alternative to residential placement with up to 24-hour care; consultancy services covering MASH, Assessment, Safeguarding and Care Planning; and training delivered nationally to Local Authority staff.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led, targeting Local Authority social services departments through direct outreach, professional referral pathways, and self-referral options. Revenue is generated through quote-based professional services pricing, with same-day cost estimates provided upon referral. The organization operates under the PIPS Group umbrella alongside its 2023-established sister company PIPS Homes, which provides residential assessment and support services in the East Midlands. Founded originally in 2005 and re-established under current Operations Director Louise Brakes in July 2019, the company employs 1-10 staff and serves a market where Ofsted (2021) reports approximately 400,000 children are open to social care services at any one time.

The business model relies on multi-disciplinary teams of social workers and family practitioners delivering assessment, support, and training services. Distribution is primarily direct, through both professional referrals from Local Authority social services and self-referrals from families. The company maintains community partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, and other social service agencies to enable comprehensive inter-agency care. There is no evidence of external investment or institutional ownership, indicating a founder/owner-operated structure with organic growth funded through operational revenues.

Name

Parents in Partnership

Legal name

Parents In Partnership

Website

https://parentsinpartnership.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parents in Partnership is a UK social work agency providing specialist parenting assessments, in-home support, safeguarding training, and consultancy services to Local Authorities, education settings, and families across England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Work and Family Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Social work services
• Parenting assessments
• Family support services
• Safeguarding training
• Child welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Loughborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Assessment Services: In-home assessments and specialist ParentAssess evaluations provided to Local Authorities and families. Pricing is quote-based with same-day cost estimates provided upon referral.
2. Consultancy Services: Expert consultation, advice and intervention across social care services including MASH, Assessment, Safeguarding and Care Planning. Includes diagnostic reviews and audits for Local Authorities.
3. Training Services: Training courses for professionals working with children and families, provided to Local Authorities, Education sector and Voluntary agencies. Offered in person or virtually.
4. Residential Services: PIPS Homes provides residential assessment and support services located in East Midlands near Loughborough town centre.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Parents in Partnership is a UK-based social work agency that delivers in-home parenting assessments, residential family support services through PIPS Homes, consultancy for Local Authorities, and safeguarding training. The company specialises in assessments for parents with learning disabilities and additional needs via its proprietary ParentAssess framework. Services are commissioned primarily by Local Authorities, education settings, and voluntary agencies, with self-referrals and professional referrals also accepted.

Product overview

Parents in Partnership operates as a multi-service social work agency offering a coordinated portfolio of assessment, support, and training services. The core offerings include: In Home Assessments (IHA), a community-based alternative to residential assessment; ParentAssess, a specialist framework for assessing parents with learning disabilities; Consultancy services for Local Authorities; Training for professionals; and PIPS Homes, a residential support service. Together, these services provide a strengths-based, multi-disciplinary approach to helping children remain within birth families by addressing needs such as domestic abuse, mental health, and parenting capacity. The company operates under the PIPS Group umbrella alongside sister company PIPS Homes (established 2023).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ParentAssess: A specialist assessment framework for parents with learning disabilities and additional needs, designed to be clear, understandable and measurable.
• PIPS Jobs

Products and services

• In-Home Assessments Structured parenting assessments conducted within the family home, commissioned primarily by UK Local Authorities and statutory bodies to evaluate parenting capacity and inform safeguarding or court decisions.
• ParentAssess Proprietary parenting assessment framework designed specifically for parents with learning disabilities and additional needs, used within the agency's in-home and residential assessment pathways.
• PIPS Homes (Residential Family Support) Residential placement service providing intensive family support and assessment in a controlled setting, offered as an alternative or complement to in-home assessments.
• Consultancy Services Consultancy support for UK Local Authorities and partner agencies on parenting assessment, safeguarding practice, and service design for complex family cases.
• Safeguarding Training Training programmes covering safeguarding, parenting assessment practice, and related topics, delivered to professionals in Local Authorities, education settings, and voluntary agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces placement moves and likelihood of residential settings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with schools as community partners to provide comprehensive care and support to clients, working together to make greater impact in the community.
• Healthcare ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with healthcare providers as community partners to enable comprehensive care and support through inter-agency collaboration.
• Other Social Service AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other social service agencies as community partners to provide comprehensive care and make greater impact in the community.
• PIPS HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company established in 2023, providing residential assessment and support services. Part of the broader Pips Group offering alongside Parents In Partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lifeways: UK provider of specialist residential and supported living services for children and adults with complex needs; comparable in residential family support and Local Authority contract model.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): UK charity providing fostering, adoption and family assessment services for Local Authorities; competes for the same parent-capacity assessment and family-support commissioning budgets.
• Compass Community: Independent fostering and family assessment provider operating across multiple UK regions; competes for the same family-assessment and Local Authority commissioning mandates.
• Five Rivers Child Care: UK independent provider of fostering, residential and family assessment services to Local Authorities, with a multi-disciplinary assessment model directly comparable to Parents in Partnership's IHA and ParentAssess offerings.
• Family Action: National charity delivering family support, parenting programmes and early-help services commissioned by Local Authorities across England — overlapping service mix with Parents in Partnership's training and family support lines.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: Largest UK children's charity, running fostering, adoption, family support and safeguarding services with national reach; sets the benchmark Local Authorities compare smaller specialists against.
• NSPCC: UK children's safeguarding charity delivering training, consultancy and direct services to Local Authorities and schools; directly competes for safeguarding training and consultancy spend.
• Catch22: Large UK social business running children's services, family intervention and rehabilitation programmes for Local Authorities; broader portfolio but overlapping commissioning frameworks and target buyers.
• The Children's Society: National children's charity delivering family support, exploitation and safeguarding programmes commissioned by Local Authorities; overlapping training and family intervention offerings.
• Action for Children: Major UK children's charity delivering fostering, family support and safeguarding services nationwide; competes for Local Authority contracts across most of Parents in Partnership's service categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parentsinpartnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Parents in Partnership