Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living

What Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living does

Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) is a Disabled People-led Organisation (DPO) and registered charity (SC024299), founded in 1995 and headquartered at 117-127 Brook Street, Glasgow. It delivers independent living support to disabled people across the west of Scotland through four core service lines: Self-Directed Support (SDS) guidance and Direct Payment administration; payroll services for anyone in Scotland who employs their own Personal Assistant (PA); Independent Living Fund (ILF) Award Management; and employment services including the Equality Academy Professional Careers Programme. Project-based workstreams (Voices at Work research, Young People's Project) and ancillary services (PA recruitment support, meeting room hire) sit alongside these core lines.

GCIL operates as a company limited by guarantee with 11-50 staff and offices in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire following a 2025 merger. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is human-expert-led. Revenue is generated primarily through charitable grants from public-sector and foundation funders (Glasgow Futures, Scottish Government, National Lottery, UK Government), supplemented by fee-based payroll services for PA employers and meeting room hire. Customer segments span disabled individuals, Personal Assistants, carers/families, and young disabled people transitioning into adulthood.

The organisation's competitive position rests on its DPO status (run by disabled people for disabled people), 30-year track record as Scotland's largest Centre for Inclusive Living, and embedded relationships with local authorities, HSCPs, Scottish Government, and peer DPOs (LCIL, AILN, Inclusion Scotland). GCIL is governed by a board under long-standing chair Dr Jim Elder-Woodward OBE (who retired in 2025 after 30 years), with Pauline Boyce as CEO since 2021.

Name

Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living

Legal name

Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living

Website

https://gcil.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) is a Disabled People-led charity, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Glasgow, delivering independent living support — Self-Directed Support guidance, payroll services for Personal Assistant employers, ILF Award Management, and employment programmes — to disabled people across the west of Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability support services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Independent living support
• Personal assistant payroll
• Self-directed support
• Disability employment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Funding: As a registered charity (SC024299), GCIL operates primarily through grants and funding from government bodies and foundations. Key funders include Glasgow Futures, Scottish Government, National Lottery, and UK Government.
2. Payroll Services: GCIL offers payroll services to anyone in Scotland who employs their own Personal Assistant, processing payroll for supported individuals.
3. Meeting Room Hire: The organisation hires out meeting rooms as an additional revenue stream.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GCIL is a disabled people-led organisation that delivers human services supporting disabled people in the west of Scotland. Its core offerings include Self-Directed Support guidance, payroll services for Personal Assistant employers, ILF Award Management, employment support including the Equality Academy Professional Careers Programme, and PA recruitment support, complemented by projects such as Voices at Work and the Young People's Project.

Product overview

GCIL offers a suite of human services focused on independent living support for disabled people in west Scotland. Core offerings include Self-Directed Support (SDS) guidance and advice, payroll services for PA employers, ILF Award Management, and employment support including the Equality Academy professional careers programme. These services are complemented by project-based initiatives like Voices at Work (employment research) and the Young People's Project, along with PA recruitment support and meeting room hire facilities. GCIL operates as a disabled people-led organisation with no technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Directed Support (SDS) A guidance service helping disabled people in Scotland exercise more control over the care and support they receive, including advice on the four SDS options for arranging personal care.
• Payroll Services Payroll processing for individuals in Scotland who employ their own Personal Assistants, handling wages, tax and National Insurance for PA employers.
• ILF Award Management
• Employment Services
• PA Recruitment and Support
• Young People's Project
• Voices at Work
• Meeting Room Hire

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 1000+ people, 500+ new cases, 2200+ hours of support, 5800+ payrolls processed in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and major.

• Inclusion ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026DPO colleague partner in Scottish Government Cabinet Takeover, working directly with Ministers on Disability Equality Plan.
• Glasgow Disability AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026DPO colleague partner in Scottish Government Cabinet Takeover, working directly with Ministers on Disability Equality Plan.
• Disability Equality ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026DPO colleague partner in Scottish Government Cabinet Takeover, working directly with Ministers on Disability Equality Plan.
• University of GlasgowsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Research collaboration: Lisa, a researcher at University of Glasgow, conducting PA research with GCIL support.
• LCIL (Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint manifesto produced with LCIL and AILN setting out shared vision for independent living and equality for disabled people.
• AILNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint manifesto produced with LCIL and AILN setting out shared vision for independent living and equality for disabled people.
• NHS Education for Scotland (NES)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organisation for Equality Academy/Professional Careers Programme placement (Charlotte's placement as content designer).
• South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to engage social care students about Personal Assistant roles through presentations at South Lanarkshire College.
• South Lanarkshire CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege where PA role presentations were delivered to social care students.
• Independent Living Fund (ILF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGCIL became ILF Award Managers, delivering the DPO Pilot with the Independent Living Fund.
• Scottish GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivering Disability Competence Programme for Scottish Government; co-funder of multiple projects.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hft (Home Farm Trust): Large national charity supporting people with learning disabilities across the UK, including personalisation services. Operates a broader learning-disability focused portfolio that overlaps with parts of GCIL's service user base.
• Choice Support: UK-wide charity providing support for people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs including personalisation and self-directed support services. A larger-scale operator offering overlapping independent living support but across multiple service streams.
• Disability Rights UK: Leading national disability rights and policy organisation covering welfare, employment, and independent living. Provides broader policy and benefits advice comparable to parts of GCIL's remit, but at national scale rather than local service delivery.
• Independent Living Fund: Scottish funder/manager of Independent Living Fund awards to disabled people. Major strategic partner of GCIL (GCIL became ILF Award Managers for the DPO Pilot), sharing a focus on independent living outcomes but operating as a funding body rather than service provider.

Direct peers

• Inclusion Scotland: National disabled people's organisation in Scotland conducting policy advocacy and disability rights work. A core DPO partner of GCIL in Scottish Government Cabinet Takeover activity, with overlapping disability-empowerment mission and policy focus.
• Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCIL): Edinburgh-based Centre for Inclusive Living providing directly comparable independent living, self-directed support, and disability services in east Scotland. Co-produced the joint manifesto with GCIL, indicating closely aligned mission, model, and services.
• Disability Equality Scotland: National DPO focused on disability equality across Scotland, including access panel work and policy engagement. Core partner of GCIL in Scottish Government Cabinet Takeover on Disability Equality Plan, with overlapping advocacy remit.
• Aberdeen Independent Living Network: Disability-led organisation in north-east Scotland delivering independent living support and self-directed support services. Listed as the third joint manifesto partner with GCIL and LCIL, operating a near-identical service model in a different Scottish region.

Regional players

• Glasgow Disability Alliance: Largest disabled people's organisation in Glasgow with a broader equality and rights focus than GCIL's independent living specialism. Operates in the same geographic market and is a documented core partner of GCIL in joint DPO advocacy.
• Centre for Independent Living (Bristol): Disabled people-led organisation in Bristol delivering directly comparable independent living, personal assistant, and self-directed support services. Operates the same Centre for Inclusive Living model as GCIL but in a different UK region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glasgow-centre-for-inclusive-living

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 Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living