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Specialist children’s homes operator announces significant growth plans

Press release 30 October 2024

The North West’s leading provider of specialised therapeutic services for children has received a significant six figure investment to increase its number of homes in the North West to eleven as part of a three year strategic growth plan.

Three people, two women and one man, stand on a cobbled walkway beside a calm canal with buildings in the background

The funding comes from NPIF II-FW Capital Debt Finance which is managed by FW Capital as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. It is helping Wigan based Panacea Children Services to open nine dual-placement children's homes. These are specifically designed to support children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD) and Learning Disabilities (LD) and provide a safe and caring therapeutic environment tailored to the unique needs of each child.

The funding is also supporting activities around the recruitment and training of specialised staff equipped to handle the complexities of caring for children with EBD and LD, ensuring that high-quality children’s services are consistently delivered across all its homes. This will further support the smooth management and operation of the expanded network homes, allowing for seamless service delivery and care coordination.

Our partnership with FW Capital is helping us to scale sustainably while continuing to deliver high-quality services to the region’s most vulnerable children. There is significant investment required to support the infrastructure, staffing, training and resources needed to establish each home and meet our standards of care. The support from FW Capital and NPIF II is helping us to meet the increasing demand for EBD and LD services and achieve our growth goals. The opening of the nine new dual-placement homes marks a significant expansion of Panacea Children Services' capacity to provide specialised therapeutic care. Liz Hiley Operations Director at Panacea Children Services
The financial investment is helping Panacea Children Services to strengthen their market position and expand the therapeutic care available for vulnerable children with EBD and LD. They recognise the increased need for high quality, reliable therapeutic children’s services and the tailored approach needed to implement the right solutions to support children and their families. Working with businesses like Panacea Children Services is rewarding, and I’m pleased our funding will help to make a real difference to children across the North West. Steve Molyneux Senior Investment Executive at FW Capital
The team at Panacea have identified a demand for therapeutic services for children with EBD and LD. Access to finance is a crucial part in many companies’ growth journey and it’s great that funding from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II has been able to support Panacea in delivering new homes to meet the demand, helping create jobs as well in the region. Sue Barnard Senior Manager at the British Business Bank

NPIF II - FW Capital Debt Finance can provide loans in the NPIF II area with a primary focus on the

North West regions of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.

The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II aims to build on the success of the initial fund, with the purpose of driving sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance. FW Capital will provide debt finance options from £100,000 to £2million to businesses based in the North West of England.

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact [email protected].

Notes to editors

About FW Capital

FW Capital is a fund management company currently managing UK-based funds of £390.8m

For further information, visit fwcapital.co.uk.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II)

NPIF II is a £660 million investment fund to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses across the North of England launched in March 2024.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is one of a series of new Nations and Regions Investment Funds launched by the British Business Bank delivering a £1.6 billion commitment of new funding to drive sustainable economic growth.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II offers a range of commercial finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the entire North of England including Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Yorkshire & the Humber, Cheshire & Warrington, Cumbria, County Durham, Tyne & Wear, and Northumberland.

It aims to tackle an identified funding gap between the North and South of England and increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses.

FW Capital manages the £75 million NPIF II – FW Capital Debt Finance fund, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II  on behalf of the British Business Bank. Finance of £100,000 to £2 million is available to businesses in the North of England with a focus on Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.

FW Capital is part of the DBW Group one of the UK’s largest SME investors. The DBW Group manages funds of in excess of £1.9 billion For further information on the Group visit developmentbank.wales. 

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