Independent Lives

What Independent Lives does

Independent Lives is a user-led UK charity founded in 2001 that supports disabled people, people with support needs, and carers through Direct Payment administration, person-centred home care, respite services, and Care (Education) Treatment Reviews (C(E)TRs). Headquartered in Worthing with 101-250 employees, it serves more than 1,000 service users annually, delivered 51,182 hours of person-centred care and over 6,000 hours of respite care in 2023, and processes approximately 16,130 Direct Payment payrolls per year. Its digital surface is anchored by the PA Pages platform (pa-pages.org), a dedicated site for Direct Payment management and Personal Assistant recruitment, supported by a WCAG 2.2 Level AA-conformant main website.

Revenue is generated primarily through multi-year local authority contracts with West Sussex County Council (relationship since 2001, renewed for at least five years from April 2026), East Sussex County Council (to at least 2029), and Wiltshire Council (from October 2025), supplemented by a new South East/South West C(E)TR contract from June 2026. Secondary income streams include grants from NHS Health Education England, Skills for Care, and the Asda Foundation, plus individual donations and community fundraising via JustGiving. The organisation holds CQC 'Good', Disability Confident Leader, Living Wage, Skills for Care endorsed provider, and Dementia Friends credentials, and 96% of people supported say they would recommend the Direct Payment service.

Name

Independent Lives

Legal name

Independent Lives

Website

https://www.independentlives.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Independent Lives is a charity and social enterprise focused on making life easier for disabled people and people with support needs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Social Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Direct Payment support
• Disability support services
• Personal assistance payroll
• Social care charity
• Care and support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Worthing

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Local Authority Contracts: Primary revenue from contracts with local authorities (West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council, Wiltshire Council) to provide Direct Payment support services, care services, and C(E)TR reviews. These are multi-year public sector contracts.
2. Charitable Grants: Funding from healthcare and government bodies for specific projects including NHS Health Education England for cost-of-living research, Skills for Care for PA training, and Asda Foundation for wellness bags.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Voluntary donations from individuals and organizations, fundraising events, and community fundraising activities. Includes JustGiving platform integration for online donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Independent Lives is a UK user-led charity and social enterprise that provides Direct Payment support services, payroll and banking services for personal assistants, and a portfolio of care, respite and review services (including C(E)TRs, Carers' Respite, Home First and a Digital Support Service) for disabled people, people with support needs, and carers. It also operates PA Pages, a digital platform that connects personal assistants with disabled and self-directing clients, alongside Training and Events, Friends membership, room hire and the Community Solutions Consortium partnership.

Product overview

Independent Lives operates as a user-led charity offering a portfolio of care and support services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Direct Payment Support Services (encompassing PA Pages platform, recruitment, payroll, and banking), Care and Support Services (including Home First and respite care), and C(E)TR reviews. These services are complemented by training programmes, the Friends of Independent Lives membership scheme, and community facilities. The organization delivers services across Sussex, Croydon, East Sussex, Wiltshire, and South England, with PA Pages serving as the primary digital platform for Direct Payment management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PA Pages: A separate website devoted to the management of Direct Payments and the recruitment of Personal Assistants.

Products and services

• Direct Payment Support Services Support for disabled and self-directing individuals to set up, manage and administer Direct Payments from local authorities, including help with employing personal assistants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of people supported would recommend the Direct Payment service
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• West Sussex County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Third-time awarded contract to deliver Direct Payment support across West Sussex. The new contract started April 2026 and will run for at least five years. Services include advice and guidance, help recruiting Personal Assistants, payroll, managed bank accounts, and DBS checks.
• Department for Work and PensionsstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Partnership to offer work experience placements for people looking to return to employment. Four-week placements provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals who may have been out of the job market.
• Wiltshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025From 1 October 2025, providing support for people managing their Direct Payments in Wiltshire. Team provides advice, guidance, and practical help to help people manage their care and support arrangements.
• University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Supported UHSussex in achieving Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) status by validating their self-assessment and providing expert guidance throughout the process.
• University of ReadingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Supported the cost-of-living research study alongside the Scottish Community Development Centre.
• Scottish Community Development CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Supported the cost-of-living research study alongside the University of Reading.
• West Sussex County CouncilstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Partnership on PA Market Development Project to increase care and support options in the Chichester area by recruiting, training and supporting more personal assistants.
• East Sussex County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Awarded contract to provide support to disabled people in East Sussex. Services include Direct Payment support, information and advice, and PA Pages website access. The contract runs until at least 2029. Currently supports almost half of all Direct Payment recipients in the county.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Hft (Home Farm Trust): National UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities to live independently, including through personalisation and Direct Payment support. Comparable in mission, user-led ethos, and reliance on local authority commissioning.
• United Response: UK disability charity providing personalised support, including personal assistant services and Direct Payment support, commissioned by local authorities. Similar operational model and customer base.
• Sense: UK charity supporting people with complex disabilities (including deafblindness) to live more independently. Overlaps with Independent Lives on personalisation, PA support, and local authority commissioning.
• Mencap: Largest UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities. Comparable in scale, mission, and reliance on government and local authority funding for personalised support services.
• Leonard Cheshire: UK disability charity providing personalised support including supported living and personalisation programmes. Comparable mission and commissioner relationships.
• Real Life Options: UK provider of personalised support for people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs, working through Direct Payments and local authority contracts.
• Lifeways: UK provider of supported living and home care for people with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs. Comparable scale and local-authority-funded operating model.
• Voyage Care: UK specialist care provider supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs. Overlaps on Direct Payment, supported living, and home care delivery.
• KeyRing: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities and autism to live independently, including through personal assistant networks and self-directed support — directly comparable to Independent Lives' PA Pages model.

Broad incumbents

• Community Integrated Care: One of the UK's largest social care charities, providing a broad portfolio of personalised support services. Comparable on user-led values, Direct Payment support, and national local authority footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-lives-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/independentlives
• Xx.com/indep_lives
• Facebookfacebook.com/indeplives

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Independent Lives