What Parenting Special Children does

Parenting Special Children (PSC) is a UK-registered charitable company limited by guarantee (Registered Charity 1141172, Company 07351094) founded in 2006 by Ruth Pearse, headquartered in Theale, Berkshire. PSC delivers specialist parenting support services to families of neurodivergent children, children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and those affected by early life trauma. Its service portfolio comprises a term-time helpline, multi-session workshops and courses (covering ADHD, Autism, AuDHD, sleep, sensory processing, trauma and attachment), nine distinct community support groups, four Children and Young People (CYP) groups, two specialist programmes (Time Out for Special Needs and Who's In Charge?), family events, a professional referral pathway, commissioned training for schools and public-sector bodies, and an online resources library. Approximately 90% of its 40+ staff team are themselves parents/carers of neurodivergent children or are neurodivergent, pairing lived experience with professional qualifications in social work, nursing, occupational therapy, teaching, and psychotherapy.

PSC operates on a hybrid charity-plus-fee-for-service business model. The majority of family-facing services are provided free or at nominal cost (e.g., £12.50 workshop tickets), supported by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grant funding from a diversified base that includes BBC Children in Need, The National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Greenham Trust, Earley Charity, Berkshire Community Foundation, John Sykes Foundation, and Adoption England. The organisation also generates earned revenue through commissioned training contracts with NHS Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, the BOB ICB and GEMS Autism/ADHD Support Services, and a roster of local authorities and charities (Optalis, PACT, SSAFA, RCTCBC, Adopt Thames Valley, Brighter Futures for Children). Geographic operations centre on Berkshire — Reading, Bracknell, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, and West Berkshire — with referral and training reach extending into Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and London.

Name

Parenting Special Children

Legal name

Parenting Special Children

Website

https://parentingspecialchildren.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parenting Special Children is a Berkshire-based UK charity, founded in 2006, that supports families of neurodivergent and SEND children through a helpline, workshops, support groups, specialist programmes, and NHS-commissioned training, with 90% of its 40+ staff bringing lived experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Needs Family Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Parenting Education for Special Needs & Developmental Differences (EDACALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK), Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Special needs support services
• Neurodivergence family support
• Trauma-informed parenting
• SEND professional training
• Parenting education programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals, with suggested amounts of £10, £20, or £30 for specific support purposes. Monthly giving option available.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship including 'Charity of the Year' partnerships, skills volunteering, project sponsorship, and fundraising.
3. Commissioned Training: Training services commissioned by schools, public sector, and workplaces on topics including trauma, neurodivergence, sleep, and specialist courses. Delivered both online and face-to-face.
4. Event Revenue: Some workshops and events have ticket prices (e.g., £12.50 per person for Sensory Processing Workshop for non-Berkshire attendees).
5. Grant Funding: Funding from trusts, foundations and statutory funders including Greenham Trust, Earley Charity, Berkshire CF, National Lottery, BBC Children in Need, Garfield Weston, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Parenting Special Children provides specialist support services for families of neurodivergent children, children with SEND, and children with early life trauma. Core offerings include a one-to-one Helpline, workshops and courses, peer support groups, children and young people's groups, specialist programmes, family events, commissioned professional training, and online resources, delivered online and in-person across Berkshire. Revenue comes from donations, grants, corporate partnerships, small event fees and commissioned training fees.

Product overview

Parenting Special Children is a charitable organization (founded 2006) that provides a comprehensive suite of support services for families with neurodivergent children, children with SEND, and children with early life trauma. The organization operates a platform of interconnected services including a Helpline for one-to-one support, Workshops and Courses (covering ADHD, Autism, AuDHD, Sleep, Sensory Processing, Trauma and Attachment), Support Groups (community-based, demographic-specific, and condition-specific), Children and Young People Groups (A Team, Mosaic Minds, Let's Get Creative, Transition to Adulthood), Specialist Programmes (Time Out for Special Needs, Who's In Charge), Family Events, Professional Training Services (commissioned training for schools and organizations), and Online Resources (articles, guides, and directories). The majority of staff (90%) are parents/carers of neurodivergent children or are neurodivergent themselves, providing lived experience alongside professional knowledge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PSC Helpline One-to-one telephone and email support service offering signposting and information to families who have recently received a diagnosis or are awaiting assessment for their child or young person. Available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during term time, 9:30am to 2:30pm.
• Workshops and Courses Specialised workshops and multi-session courses covering ADHD, Autism, AuDHD, Sleep, Sensory Processing, Interoception, Emotional Regulation, Trauma and Attachment, and Transition to Adulthood, delivered online via Zoom or face-to-face at various Berkshire locations.
• Support Groups Peer support groups for parents and carers including Community Support Groups, Adoptive Parents/Carers, Parents/Carers of Autistic/ADHD Girls (A Team), Dads/Male Carers, Ethnically Diverse Communities, Kinship/Connected Carers, Neurodivergent Parents/Carers, and Post Separation Parenting groups.
• Children and Young People (CYP) Groups Groups for neurodivergent and adopted/fostered young people including A Team (monthly group for autistic/ADHD primary-secondary aged girls), Mosaic Minds (fortnightly social group), Let's Get Creative (monthly group for adopted children and kinship care children exploring social interaction through art), and Transition to Adulthood Group (monthly group for neurodivergent young people aged 16-19/20).
• Specialist Programmes Specialist courses including Time Out for Special Needs (for parents/carers of children with SEND covering self-esteem, coping with feelings, understanding behaviour, home/school issues) and Who's In Charge? (for parents/carers of children who are violent or aggressive, providing strategies to reduce stress and increase safety).
• Family Events Family-friendly events providing safe, welcoming spaces where families can meet other families and have fun together, including Family Fun Days and Easter Family Fun Days.
• Professional Training Services Commissioned training for schools, public sector organisations, families and workplaces covering Trauma Training, Neurodivergence Training, Sleep Training, and Specialist Courses. Topics include ACEs, Reactive Attachment Disorder, FASD, Sensory Processing, and bespoke training options.
• Online Resources Digital resources and guides covering ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Diagnosis, Education, Emotional Regulation & Behaviour, Neurodivergence, Sensory Processing, Sleep, and Trauma & Attachment topics, including directories for Education, Autism, ADHD, and Transition to Adulthood.
• Professional Referral Service Referral pathway for professionals to refer families for support, accepting referrals from schools, social services, NHS teams and local authorities across Bracknell, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, London, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2135 parents/carers supported in 2023-24
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Autism BerkshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Berkshire West Autism and ADHD Support Service in collaboration with BOB ICB (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board). PSC delivers workshops as part of this service.
• GEMS (Berkshire East Autism and ADHD Support Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Berkshire NHS commissioned service. PSC delivers AuDHD and other workshops commissioned by GEMS for families in Bracknell, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead areas.
• Whole Step CICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlay therapists and music therapists from Whole Step CIC run group sessions for adopted children while parents/carers attend support groups.
• OptalisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCompany that has commissioned PSC training.
• PACT CharityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity that has commissioned PSC training.
• Reading Families ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal forum that has commissioned PSC training.
• SSAFAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArmed forces charity that has commissioned PSC training.
• RCTCBC (Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal authority that has commissioned PSC training.
• Adopt Thames ValleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdoption agency that has commissioned PSC training.
• Brighter Futures for ChildrenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganisation that has commissioned PSC training.
• K J Smith SolicitorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for National Cream Tea Day event.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ambitious about Autism: UK charity focused on autistic children and young people, providing education, employment and family support. Closely comparable to PSC's autism-specific parent/carer support, training and CYP groups.
• Contact (for families with disabled children): UK charity supporting families of disabled children, including SEND, with advice, helpline, workshops and peer networks. Directly comparable to PSC's helpline, parent education and family-events model.
• ADHD Foundation: UK charity delivering ADHD education, training and family programmes for parents, schools and employers. Strongly overlaps with PSC's ADHD workshops, parent training and neurodiversity awareness work.
• Cerebra: UK charity supporting children with neurological conditions and their families through information, grants and services. Comparable in mission scope around SEND/disability family support.
• Adoption UK: UK charity supporting adoptive families including trauma, attachment and therapeutic parenting — closely aligned with PSC's Trauma & Attachment Service, Let's Get Creative and adoptive/foster/kinship carer support groups.

Broad incumbents

• National Autistic Society: The UK's largest autism charity, providing information, advocacy, education and training across the country. Comparable as a broader incumbent overlapping with PSC's autism support, training and parent education services.
• Kids: UK charity providing services for disabled children including short breaks, inclusion and family support. Comparable as a wider SEND services provider overlapping with PSC's family-events and CYP groups.
• Family Fund: UK charity providing grants to families raising disabled or seriously ill children. Comparable in serving the same SEND family demographic and benefitting from similar institutional funder relationships.

Emerging players

• ICAN (now part of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists / children's communication): UK children's communication charity supporting children with SLCN and their families. Adjacent peer where PSC's sensory processing, interoception and neurodivergence work intersects with communication needs.
• Anna Freud Centre (families/mental health): UK mental health charity with a strong children, families and schools portfolio including trauma-informed training. Comparable as a provider of trauma training and parent/practitioner education overlapping PSC's trauma and attachment services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/parentingspecialchildren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parenting-special-children
• Instagraminstagram.com/parenting_special_children
• Xx.com/pscruth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Parenting Special Children