Sense

What Sense does

Sense is a UK-registered charity (charity number 289868) and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1955, that provides housing, education, support, and social healthcare services for disabled people with complex needs — particularly those who are deafblind or have multi-sensory impairments (MSI). The organisation operates across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland through a network of 417 locations including 109 shops, 76 bookable activity sites, 23 centres, and regional hubs in Belfast, Caerphilly, Denbigh, Birmingham, Peterborough, and Loughborough, employing between 1,001 and 5,000 staff. Its core service portfolio spans Day Services, Community Support (including Communicator Guides and Intervenors), 24-hour Residential Care, Supported Living, Sense Short Breaks, MSI Specialist support for under-25s, two specialist further education colleges, and a broad Arts, Sports and Wellbeing activities programme with 15,000+ participants and 100+ free online resources.

The underlying methodology is a "total communication" approach combining sign language, Makaton, Braille, Deafblind Manual, and tactile communication systems, augmented by assistive technology aids and a free Toy and Tech project for families. The business model is hybrid: a significant portion of services for adults is funded through local authority social care budgets, NHS continuing healthcare, and personal budgets or direct payments, while services for children and young people up to age 25, as well as many arts and wellbeing activities, are provided free of charge and funded through charitable donations, fundraising events, legacy gifts, and grants — including a strategic partnership with Arts Council England. Sense is regulated by Ofsted (Good Provider rating for its colleges) and the Care Quality Commission across its residential homes, and it reaches customers through self-referral, referrals from social workers, GPs, health professionals, and families, supplemented by a website, online booking system, and active policy campaigns on SEND and disability benefits.

Name

Sense

Legal name

Sense

Website

https://sense.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sense is a UK disability charity founded in 1955 that delivers housing, education, social care, and wellbeing services for disabled people with complex needs, including deafblindness, across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Social Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Individual and Family Services (6241), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD)

Keywords

• Disability social care
• Deafblind support services
• Residential care UK
• Specialist further education
• Complex needs support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and fundraising: Sense relies on public donations, fundraising events, and legacy gifts (Gift in Wills) to fund operations and services.
2. Local authority and government funding: Many services are funded by local authority budgets, continuing health care, and social care budgets. Personal budgets and direct payments also fund services.
3. Adult social care funding: Services for adults are funded through adult social care budgets, NHS continuing healthcare, and personal care budgets including direct payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sense is a UK disability charity that provides personalised housing, education, social care, and wellbeing services for disabled people with complex needs, particularly those who are deafblind or have multi-sensory impairments. Its offering spans day services, community support (including Communicator Guides and Intervenors), residential care, supported living, short breaks, the Sense College for ages 16-25, and free arts, sports and wellbeing activities delivered through a network of regional centres across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Product overview

Sense is a UK disability charity offering a comprehensive portfolio of personalised services for disabled people with complex needs, particularly those who are deafblind or have multi-sensory impairments. The organisation operates a multi-service model spanning day services, community support (including Communicator Guides and Intervenors), Residential Care, Supported Living, and Sense Short Breaks. Specialised offerings include MSI Specialists for children and young people aged 0-25, Sense College (an independent specialist college for ages 16-25), and Arts, Sports and Wellbeing Activities including sensory football, sensory tennis, sensory walks, and accessible arts programmes. Early intervention is provided through Connect and Play sessions for children up to age 8, while Family Days and the Toy and Tech project support families. Services are delivered across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland through regional hubs including Sense Hub Belfast and Sense Cymru hubs in Denbigh and Caerphilly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Services Structured daytime activities for adults with complex needs held at Sense centres across the UK, including cooking, swimming, hydrotherapy, arts and crafts, music sessions, and community outings.
• Community Support One-to-one support for disabled people with complex needs in their communities, including Communicator Guides for adults with acquired deafblindness and Intervenors for those born deafblind.
• Residential Care Round-the-clock 24-hour care for disabled people with complex needs living in Sense group homes, with personalised care plans tailored to individual preferences and needs.
• Supported Living Independent living accommodation for disabled people with complex needs where individuals are tenants with responsibilities, receiving flexible support from care staff as needed.
• Sense Short Breaks Respite care services including Get Out There holiday clubs, weekend clubs, and one-to-one personal assistants for disabled people, providing carers with breaks from caring responsibilities.
• MSI Specialists Free specialist support for children and young people up to age 25 with multi-sensory impairments or combined vision and hearing impairments, providing advice, play sessions, communication support, and family guidance.
• Sense College Independent specialist further education college for disabled people aged 16-25 with complex needs, including those with deafblindness, dual-sensory impairment, or multi-sensory impairment, offering Learning for Life, Foundation Learning, and Employability pathways.
• Arts, Sports and Wellbeing Activities Free accessible activities for disabled people including sensory football, sensory tennis, sensory snooker, sensory walks, art, music, dance, yoga, and chair yoga, with over 15,000 participants and 100+ free online resources.
• Connect and Play (Early Intervention) Free play sessions for disabled children with complex needs up to age 8 and their families, designed to help children develop communication skills, play abilities, and connections with others.
• Family Days Inclusive family events providing welcoming environments where disabled children can take part, have fun, and enjoy new experiences alongside their families.
• Family Support Service (Northern Ireland) Support service across Northern Ireland for children under 12 with sensory impairments and additional needs, including information, benefits guidance, signposting, family events, and one-to-one support.
• Sense Hub Belfast Hub providing activities, music sessions, performances, community events, and specialist support for children and adults with complex needs in Northern Ireland.
• Sense Cymru (Wales) Services across north and south Wales including Sense hubs in Denbigh and Caerphilly, community support, day services, and supported living in Tonypandy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15,000 people have participated in Sense's arts, sports and wellbeing activities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Arts Council EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSense has partnered with Arts Council England to expand their vision of helping more disabled people discover art, music and dance. The partnership supports programmes open to deafblind people and those with complex needs, as well as their families.
• Jordanstown SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with Jordanstown School, Sense runs PlaySense sessions providing disabled children up to age 12 opportunities to try new activities in a safe and stimulating environment. Sessions take place after school and during holiday periods.
• Sense InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated international organisation focused on deafblind people globally. Listed as a connected organisation on sense.org.uk.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): UK charity supporting blind and partially sighted people with a similar multi-service model (education, community, advocacy) and Sense even acquired its former college (RNIB College Loughborough) in 2024. Direct overlap on the vision-impairment side of Sense's complex-needs work.
• RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People): UK charity for deaf people and those with hearing loss, providing community services, advice, and technology. Mirrors Sense's role on the deafness side of deafblind/multi-sensory impairment and competes for the same specialist referral funding.
• Deafblind UK: National charity dedicated to deafblindness, offering one-to-one support, advocacy and information services. Closest peer in the deafblind/MSI segment that Sense pioneered.
• Mencap: UK's largest learning disability charity, operating residential, supported living, and community services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Direct competitor for the same local-authority funding pools for adults with complex needs.
• SeeAbility: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss, with specialist services and supported living. Overlaps directly with Sense's combined vision-impairment-plus-complex-needs cohort.
• Hft (Home Farm Trust): National charity supporting people with learning disabilities, including residential care, supported living and day services across England. Comparable provider of personalisation-led adult social care commissioning.
• United Response: UK charity providing supported living, residential and community services for people with learning disabilities and autism. Competes for local-authority personal-budget contracts in the same geographies.
• National Autistic Society: UK charity for autistic people offering residential, education (schools/college), and community services. Direct competitor in the specialist education and adult support verticals and a source of policy advocacy benchmark for Sense.

Broad incumbents

• Guide Dogs: Large UK charity providing mobility and rehabilitation services for people with sight loss, including children and young people services. Operates across a similar beneficiary base but with a narrower mobility-assistance remit.

Emerging players

• Ambitious about Autism: UK charity focused on education and outcomes for autistic children, running schools and a college. Overlaps with Sense College and children's services on the autism side of Sense's complex-needs work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/sensecharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sense-charity
• Xx.com/sensecharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/sensecharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 Sense