United Response

What United Response does

United Response is a UK registered charity (charity number 265249) founded in 1973 that delivers person-centred social care and supported living services to approximately 2,300-3,000 people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, and physical disabilities across 400+ locations in England and Wales. The organization employs approximately 3,500 staff and operates five core service lines: Housing Support, Supported Living, Community Services, Education, and Supported Employment. Service delivery is structured around proprietary person-centred frameworks including the SPELL framework for autism, Positive Behaviour Support, Active Support, and the Foundations of Good Support quality guide. Care delivery is supported by care management technology (Nourish).

Beyond direct services, United Response has built distinctive proprietary content and engagement assets, most notably Easy News (the first accessible news magazine designed for people with learning disabilities) and the Our Life Stories oral history project, with recordings archived permanently at the British Library. The organization runs a co-production infrastructure including the People's Forum, Quality Checker Programme (where service users with lived experience inspect service quality), and The People's Fund (grants to supported individuals). Notable partnerships include the British Library and the Tizard Centre at the University of Kent.

The business model is primarily a managed services model funded through contracts with UK local authorities and government bodies, supplemented by diversified income streams including individual donations, fundraising, a lottery programme, and trust and foundation grants. Service pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined through local authority assessment and commissioning processes. Distribution occurs through three channels: local authority commissioning (primary), direct service provision, and self-referral/family referral. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees, has no parent company or external ownership, and is not VC- or PE-backed.

Name

United Response

Legal name

United Response

Website

https://unitedresponse.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

United Response is a UK registered charity founded in 1973 that provides person-centred social care, supported living, housing, education, and employment services to approximately 3,000 people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, and physical disabilities across 400+ locations in England and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Transition & Supported Living Navigation (EDAKANAK), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language) (EDAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Supported living services
• Social care services
• Learning disability care
• Community support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government and Local Authority Contracts: Primary revenue stream through contracts with local authorities and government bodies to provide social care, supported living, housing, and employment services to people with disabilities.
2. Charitable Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, fundraising activities, and legacy gifts from supporters. The People's Fund provides grants to people supported by the charity.
3. Lottery: United Response operates a lottery programme where players can win prizes while supporting the charity's cause.
4. Trust and Foundation Funding: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations for specific projects and initiatives, including the Our Life Stories oral history project.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

United Response provides person-centred social care and support services for adults and young people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, and physical disabilities across England and Wales. Core services include supported living, housing, community participation, education advocacy, and supported employment, complemented by accessible content resources (Easy News), training materials, and quality frameworks (SPELL, Active Support, Foundations of Good Support).

Product overview

United Response provides a comprehensive portfolio of disability support services across England and Wales, reaching approximately 3,000 people. The organisation operates core support services including Housing, Supported Living, Community Services, Education, and Supported Employment, all delivered through person-centred support approaches. The portfolio includes accessible content resources such as Easy News (the first accessible news magazine for people with learning disabilities), expert guidance documents, training resources, and advocacy materials. Notable products include the Our Life Stories oral history project, the Big Lives strategic plan, and various quality frameworks like the SPELL Framework for autism support and Positive Behaviour Support. The organisation also provides practical resources for families and professionals including the Family Charter, Making Money Easier financial guides, and CookABILITY cooking videos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our Life Stories: An oral history project documenting the life stories of people supported by United Response in partnership with the British Library.
• Easy News
• The People's Fund

Products and services

• Housing Support Assistance with finding and maintaining housing for adults and young people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, and physical disabilities, including supported living arrangements delivered across England and Wales.
• Supported Living Person-centred support enabling individuals to live independently in their own homes with appropriate care and assistance, including 24/7 on-site support, personal care, and daily living skills development.
• Community Services Support for individuals to participate fully in their local communities, including social activities, daily living tasks, building relationships, and accessing community resources.
• Education Support Educational assistance and advocacy for people with disabilities to access learning opportunities and achieve their academic goals.
• Supported Employment Job placement assistance and workplace support for people with disabilities, including help for employers to create inclusive workplaces through workplace adjustments and job coaching.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,300 people supported across 360+ locations in England and Wales
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The British LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur Life Stories oral history project recordings are stored permanently at the British Library, ensuring preservation of life stories of people with learning disabilities and autistic people for future generations.
• Tizard Centre, University of KentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Tizard Centre at University of Kent on the Stay Inside: Be Inspired guide and Active Support resources. The Tizard Centre is a leading academic institution in learning disability and autism research.
• Driving Up Quality CodecoreOthersUnited Response has signed up to the Driving Up Quality code, involving people with learning disabilities in checking service quality.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mencap: One of the largest UK charities supporting people with learning disabilities. Highly comparable in mission, beneficiary base (learning disability focus), supported living services, and advocacy role across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• Leonard Cheshire: Major UK disability charity supporting people with learning and physical disabilities through supported living and community services. Comparable in beneficiary mix and supported living model.
• Sense: UK charity supporting people with complex disabilities including deafblindness, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities. Comparable in supported living model and multi-disability beneficiary focus.
• Dimensions: UK not-for-profit providing support to people with learning disabilities and autism. Comparable in service mix (supported living, community support, employment), beneficiary profile, and operating geographies.
• Hft (Home Farm Trust): UK charity providing supported living and learning disability services. Directly comparable in supported living model, person-centred approaches, and geographic footprint across England and Wales.
• The National Autistic Society: UK charity for autistic people, providing services, support, and advocacy. Comparable in autism-specific support services (SPELL framework, education support) and broad UK footprint.
• MacIntyre: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities and autism, including supported living, education, and employment. Comparable in mission, co-production ethos, and service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Community Integrated Care: One of the UK's largest social care charities, providing supported living and community services for people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs. Comparable in scale, mission, and service mix.
• Turning Point: UK social enterprise providing learning disability, mental health, and substance misuse services. Comparable in social care delivery, mental health support segment, and UK geographic coverage.
• Voyage Care: Large UK provider of supported living and residential care for people with learning disabilities, autism, and brain injuries. Comparable service model but operates as a for-profit (private equity-backed) provider, contrasting with United Response's charity model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unitedresponse
• Facebooken-gb.facebook.com/UnitedResponse
• Instagraminstagram.com/unitedresponse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 United Response