Values Into Action Scotland

What Values Into Action Scotland does

Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS) is a Scottish registered charity (SC038072) and limited company (No. 318911) headquartered at Hillington Business Centre, Glasgow, operating across the central belt and north-east Scotland. Founded in 2007 (with heritage tracing back to the 1971 Campaign for the Mentally Handicapped), VIAS supports people with learning disabilities and/or autism to access employment, training, health, relationships, housing, and political engagement. It is a Disabled Persons Organisation, with 50% of its board composed of people with lived experience.

The organisation's core products are organised around four pillars: Triple E, a wraparound supported employment and job-coaching service operating in Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Aberdeen City, and Aberdeenshire for disabled people aged 16-67; DFN Project SEARCH, an employment-focused education programme VIAS licences at the University of Aberdeen, supporting up to 12 interns per academic year; The Life I Want, a person-led public social partnership covering Greater Glasgow & Clyde across health, relationships, and housing themes; and The Assembly, a Scottish accessible politics group. Adjacent offerings include Easy Read translation, evaluation and quality improvement (including mystery shopping), training courses (Learning Disability, Autism Awareness, Easy Read, Customer Service, Different Minds neurodiversity), Count Me In financial training (a boardgame-based course), S.H.E. and H.I.M. health programmes, BOSS organisational capacity building, and a video podcast called Breakthrough.

VIAS's revenue model is a mix of grant funding from charitable trusts (Volent, Robertson Trust), the National Lottery Community Fund, the Scottish Government, and multiple local authorities (Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire), combined with fee-for-service income from training courses (£150 per person for customer service training), sessional job coaching (£13.45 per hour), Easy Read translation fees, and commissioned consultancy work. Go-to-market relies on direct engagement with councils, NHS partnerships, universities, SUSE public social partnerships, and referrals through the disability advocacy ecosystem, rather than direct sales. FY2024 turnover stood at £491,795 with approximately 31 employees distributed across regional projects.

Name

Values Into Action Scotland

Legal name

Values Into Action Scotland

Website

https://viascotland.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Values Into Action Scotland is a Glasgow-based Scottish charity supporting people with learning disabilities and/or autism through supported employment (Triple E), DFN Project SEARCH, The Life I Want partnership, and The Assembly political engagement group, serving disabled individuals, employers, and public-sector commissioners across Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Employment and Support Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Transition-to-College/Independence Skills Tutoring for Learning Differences (EDANAFAJ)

Keywords

• Supported employment services
• Disability awareness training
• Easy read translation
• Job coaching services
• Neurodiversity training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: VIAS receives funding from multiple charitable trusts and government bodies including Volent Charitable Trust, National Lottery Community Fund, Scottish Government, Robertson Trust, Aberdeenshire Council, and Aberdeen City Council.
2. Training and Consultancy Services: Fee-for-service training courses including Learning Disability training, Autism Awareness, Easy Read Basics, Customer Service training, and Different Minds neurodiversity training.
3. Easy Read Translation Services: Document translation and formatting services for organizations needing accessible materials.
4. Evaluation and Quality Checking: Service evaluations, mystery shopping, and quality checking services for organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS) is a Disabled Persons Organisation providing supported employment services, disability and neurodiversity training, Easy Read document translation, travel coaching, quality evaluation services, and political engagement programmes for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The organisation delivers its portfolio across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Aberdeen City, and Aberdeenshire through commissioned public sector partnerships, employer engagement, and direct service delivery.

Product overview

Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS) is a charity providing multiple interconnected services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The core portfolio includes Triple E (supported employment/job coaching), DFN Project SEARCH (education-to-employment transition), The Life I Want (person-led public social partnership), and The Assembly (political engagement). These are supported by add-on programmes including Count Me In (financial training), S.H.E. and H.I.M. (health programmes), Different Minds (neurodivergence training), Easy Read Translation Services, Quality Improvement/Consultancy Services, and various training offerings. VIAS also operates BOSS, My Life My Way, Diversity Works 4 U, and Young Scotland's Got Talent as additional programmes. The organisation functions as a service provider rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Triple E: Wraparound supported employment service helping disabled people aged 16-67 find quality jobs, operating in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire
• DFN Project SEARCH
• The Assembly
• The Life I Want
• Count Me In
• S.H.E.
• Different Minds
• Breakthrough

Products and services

• Triple E (Elevating Equality & Excellence) A wraparound supported employment service operating in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire that helps disabled people aged 16-67 find quality jobs while providing employer support.
• DFN Project SEARCH An employment-focused education programme based at the University of Aberdeen, designed as a transition from education to employment for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. Runs Monday-Friday over one academic year for up to 12 interns.
• The Life I Want A project led by people with learning disabilities and/or neurodivergent people based in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, working on themes including Health, Relationships, and Housing through five themed workstreams.
• The Assembly A Scottish accessible politics group that supports and facilitates political engagement for people with learning disabilities and/or autism, helping them have their voices heard on decisions affecting their lives.
• Count Me In A training course that teaches people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent conditions money management skills through an interactive board game format covering budgeting and financial confidence.
• S.H.E. (Sexual Health and Empowerment) A programme for women with learning disabilities or who are neurodivergent covering topics such as positive relationships, body image, sexual health, personal safety, spotting abusive behaviours, and confidence/self-esteem.
• Different Minds A training course taught by people with lived experience covering neurodivergent conditions, their effects, and how to support neurodivergent people in workplaces or customer service settings.
• Easy Read Translation Service A document accessibility service that transforms documents into Easy Read format, making information accessible to people with learning disabilities and helping organisations comply with the Equality Act 2010.
• Employment Consultancy Building employment workers capacity in all aspects of the supported employment process, from setting up supported employment services to direct skills capacity building such as employment planning and job coaching.
• Travel Coaching One-to-one support for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to learn specific journeys independently using systematic instruction techniques.
• Quality Improvement Services Evaluation services including mystery shopping, comprehensive service evaluations, and quality checking to help organisations improve accessibility and service delivery for disabled people.
• Customer Service Training Training programme to help businesses provide quality services to disabled customers, targeting the estimated £274 billion spending power of disabled people and their families.
• BOSS (Building Organisations to Succeed and Shine) A 360-degree capacity building programme to enable businesses to be diverse and inclusive employers.
• Diversity Works 4 U Programme helping employers recruit and retain autistic people in the workforce.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Hunterian at University of GlasgowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2025VIAS commissioned to deliver accessibility scoping project for The Hunterian museum. VIAS will coordinate research and engagement exploring barriers to access and build relationships to inform future development of Hunterian spaces, interpretation and programming. Work supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
• University of AberdeencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020DFN Project SEARCH operates as a partnership at University of Aberdeen. VIAS holds the license to operate the programme, providing employment-focused education for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
• North East Scotland CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Project SEARCH interns are registered students at North East Scotland College. College provides educational oversight and supports the employability training programme.
• SDS (Skills Development Scotland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDS is a key partner in the DFN Project SEARCH programme at University of Aberdeen, contributing to the collaborative initiative supporting young disabled people into employment.
• Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIAS participates in SUSE Public Social Partnership. VIAS chairs workstream dedicated to under-represented groups of disabled people and works in partnerships to deliver capacity building programmes for businesses.
• NHS Greater Glasgow & ClydecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS GGC is the public partner for The Life I Want project, a public social partnership supporting people with learning disabilities in Greater Glasgow & Clyde on health, relationships, housing, and employment.
• Glasgow City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlasgow City Council partners with The Life I Want public social partnership, contributing to initiatives for people with learning disabilities.
• DIAGEOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIAS CEO and Senior Lead Consultant visited DIAGEO Cameron Brig distillery to discuss the We Are All Able programme for disability-inclusive employment practices.
• ScotrailminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScotrail agreed to work with VIAS on the BOSS (Building Organisations to Succeed and Shine) pilot, a 360-degree capacity building programme for inclusive employment.
• North Lanarkshire Supported Enterprise ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting individuals with disabilities into employment, worked with VIAS to support Georgia's transition to new employment.
• Dates n MatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Life I Want project, collaborated on the Relationship Charter and Video project.
• Housing Associations (Multiple)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with housing associations for The Life I Want Housing Access Conference, supporting housing outcomes for people with learning disabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hft (Home Farm Trust): Hft is a UK national charity providing learning disability support including employment, training, and personalisation services. Comparable to VIAS on supported employment and learning disability service delivery, but at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• United Response: United Response is a large UK national charity providing supported employment, training, and personal support services for people with learning disabilities and autism. Overlaps with VIAS on supported employment, training, and consultancy offerings, but operates nationally rather than in Scotland.
• Mencap: Mencap is the UK's largest learning disability charity, with national reach on employment, training, and advocacy. A broader incumbent offering similar services to VIAS at much greater scale across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Direct peers

• The Richmond Fellowship Scotland: The Richmond Fellowship Scotland is a large Scottish provider of personalized support, including employment and community-based services for people with learning disabilities and autism. Comparable in service model and Scottish delivery.
• Scottish Autism: Scottish Autism is a national charity providing autism-specific services across Scotland, including employment support and training. Directly comparable to VIAS on autism-focused supported employment, training, and consultancy.
• Capability Scotland: Capability Scotland is a national disability charity operating across Scotland, providing employment support, training, and residential services to disabled people. Direct comparable to VIAS on supported employment, training portfolio, and Scotland-wide DPO positioning.
• Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD): SCLD is a national commissioner and advocacy organization for people with learning disabilities in Scotland. Direct comparable to VIAS on rights-based advocacy, lived-experience leadership, and partnership in programmes such as Young Scotland's Got Talent.
• ENABLE Scotland: ENABLE Scotland is a major Scottish charity supporting people with learning disabilities, including employment and advocacy services. Direct overlap with VIAS on supported employment, political engagement, and member-led governance, operating in the same Scottish geography.
• Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE): SUSE is the Scottish sector body for supported employment and a key VIAS partner. Direct overlap on capacity building, employer engagement, and the Public Social Partnership workstream VIAS chairs.

Others

• DFN Project SEARCH Foundation: DFN Project SEARCH is the international licensor of the Project SEARCH model. VIAS is a license holder; DFN defines programme quality and franchise standards and represents both an upstream partner and a structural dependency for VIAS's flagship education-to-employment offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/viascotland
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWuSmgmkdEb6nr697xtQMTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/valuesintoactionscotland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/values-into-action-scotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/viascotland
• TikToktiktok.com/@viascotland

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Values Into Action Scotland