Socialheads
Built with
purpose and intent
Better tools for practitioners. Better outcomes for young people.
The challenge
Young people live online
Young people today live online. 96% of 16–24-year-olds are online daily, and 9 in 10 children aged 8–17 use messaging apps to stay connected (Ofcom, 2021; Children's Commissioner, 2020).
Digital communication isn't a preference—it's their primary mode of connection. Yet many young people, particularly those in care, face barriers accessing the tools and spaces their peers take for granted.
Services don't
Social care services still rely on fragmented, outdated or unsafe tools like email and WhatsApp. These consumer platforms were never designed for safeguarding or long-term support, putting both young people and workers at risk.
This gap—between how young people communicate and how services operate—creates missed connections at moments that matter most.
Relationships matter most
Research consistently shows that relationships are the most important factor in care outcomes (Coram Voice & Oxford University, 10,000 Voices, 2022).
Yet 38% of young people in care had multiple social workers in one year, and many struggle to maintain consistent communication with the people supporting them. When workers change, connections break. Messages go missing. Trust has to start over.
Every missed message is a missed opportunity to build trust. Every barrier to communication is a barrier to care.
Workers are under pressure
Social workers are under extreme pressure. The BASW Annual Survey (2023) found that workload, lack of resources and administrative burden remain the top causes of stress across the profession.
Workers aren't exhausted from the work itself—they're exhausted from the systems meant to support it.
Technology lags behind
Practitioners often spend more time managing systems than supporting young people. The Centre for Care's Technology in Social Care report (2022) highlights how outdated systems create barriers rather than bridges.
Technology in social care shouldn't be a barrier—it should be a bridge.
Why Socialheads
Socialheads bridges this gap with a secure, human-first digital space built for real relationships, not transactions. It helps workers connect safely and efficiently, giving young people support in a way that feels natural and familiar.
By equipping every worker with better tools, we can scale care more effectively and sustainably—not by replacing human connection with AI, but by giving workers back time and clarity.
Even one young person feeling more supported, showing up to an appointment, or re-engaging with education because a worker could reach them more easily is a meaningful outcome.
The impact
Our vision is simple: Better tools for workers. Better outcomes for young people.
For young people
More consistent, safe and responsive communication.
For workers
Less admin, lower stress, more time to focus on what matters.
For services
Real-time insights that improve planning, compliance and care quality.
When social care workers thrive, young people do too—and that ripple effect reaches families, schools and communities across the UK.
Ready to get started?
Join our pilot program and help shape the future of care communication