What SOS! SEN does

SOS!SEN (legally SOS! Special Educational Needs, Company Number 08634406, Charity Number 1153884) is an independent UK registered charity founded in 2002 and headquartered in Worcester Park, Surrey. The organisation provides information, advice, and support to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), helping them navigate the legal and bureaucratic process of securing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), appealing local authority decisions, and obtaining tribunal representation. Its services are delivered across England by a network of over 70 trained volunteers, many of whom are themselves parents who have navigated the SEN system.

The charity's service portfolio is structured in two tiers. Free, donation-funded access points include a term-time telephone helpline, email support, and in-person walk-in advice centres (e.g., Thornton Heath). A paid second tier includes tiered virtual 1:1 appointments with Volunteer Advisers (£65/hour), Legal Advisers (£125/hour), or SEN Solicitors (£175/hour); a document service suite covering EHCP Draft Analysis (£145), Parental Request for Needs Assessment (£150), Grounds of Appeal writing (£300–£600), and Pre-action Protocol letters for judicial review (£60–£300); pre-recorded webinars at £10 each; and information booklets authored by SEN solicitors. Distribution is primarily direct to consumers via the SOS!SEN website, organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn), and referrals from schools, SENDIASS services, and Parent Carer Forums.

Revenue is derived from a mix of public donations, a Surrey-based charity shop, and fee-based professional services. Legal Officer Eleanor Wright anchors the legally-based advisory output, including authoring the charity's exclusions booklet. The organisation is governed as a charity with no parent company, institutional investors, or external ownership. Geographic service scope is England only; Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are excluded because different SEN law applies. There is no proprietary technology platform — operations are human-delivered advice and document drafting — and the charity additionally engages in SEND policy reform advocacy through a published White Paper, areas-of-concern briefings, and a 'Write to your MP' campaign tool.

Name

SOS! SEN

Legal name

SOS! Special Educational Needs

Website

https://sossen.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SOS!SEN is an independent UK charity, founded in 2002, that provides free and paid advice, helpline support, and document drafting services to parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities seeking EHCP provision and tribunal appeals in England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester Park

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: SOS!SEN is funded through donations from the public for their services. They also operate a charity shop in Surrey.
2. Fee-based Document and Advice Services: Chargeable services including 1:1 advice sessions, document drafting (grounds of appeal, EHCP analysis, PAP letters), and pre-recorded webinars. Pricing ranges from £60-£600 for document services and £65-£175 for 1:1 advice sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SOS!SEN is an independent registered charity that provides free and chargeable advice, support, and resources to help parents and carers in England secure appropriate special educational needs (SEN) provision for children and young people. Its core offering comprises a free telephone helpline, email support, and walk-in advice centres, supplemented by paid 1:1 appointments with trained volunteers or legal advisers and a suite of document drafting/review services covering EHCPs, parental needs assessment requests, SENDIST appeal grounds, and judicial review pre-action protocol letters.

Product overview

SOS!SEN is an independent charity helpline providing free and chargeable services to help parents secure the right SEN provision for children and young people. The core offering consists of free services: a telephone helpline, email support, and walk-in advice centres. These are supplemented by chargeable individual services including 1:1 advice sessions (£65-£175/hour) with volunteer advisers, legal advisers, or SEN solicitors. The Document Service suite provides specialized chargeable document drafting and review including EHCP Draft Analysis (£145), Parental Request for Needs Assessment (£150), Grounds of Appeal Writing (£300-£600), and Pre-action Protocol Letters (£60-£300). Pre-recorded webinars (£10 each) and information booklets (£6 each) provide educational content on SEN topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helpline A free, friendly, independent and confidential telephone helpline (020 8538 3731) for parents and others seeking information and advice on Special Educational Needs (SEN), open during term time.
• Email Support Email-based advice and support service for parents seeking guidance on SEN matters, accessed via [email protected].
• Walk-in Advice Centres In-person advice sessions at walk-in centres where parents can receive face-to-face guidance on SEN issues, such as the Thornton Heath session referenced in parent testimonials.
• 1:1 Advice Virtual one-on-one appointments with trained volunteers, legal advisers, or SEN solicitors to discuss individual SEN cases in depth, priced £65–£175 per hour.
• Document Service Chargeable document review and drafting service including EHCP draft analysis, parental request for needs assessment, grounds of appeal writing, and pre-action protocol letters for judicial review.
• Webinars Pre-recorded online seminars covering SEN topics including beginner's guides, EHCP appeals, SEND Tribunal hearings, exclusions, transport, and choosing schools.
• Booklets Downloadable and purchasable information booklets providing legally-based advice on topics such as exclusions, appeals, and EHCP processes, written by SEN solicitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• High success rates at SENDIST Tribunal for parents representing themselves after using SOS!SEN workshops and support

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service): Statutory, local-authority-funded impartial advice service for parents of children with SEND in England. Provides the same core parent-advice function as SOS!SEN, but publicly funded and free at point of use.
• Council for Disabled Children: UK umbrella body for organisations working with disabled children, producing SEND policy, training and resources. Operates in the same SEND policy and parent-support space as SOS!SEN but as a sector infrastructure body.
• National Autistic Society: Large UK autism charity providing parent-facing advice, education rights information and SEN support. Overlaps with SOS!SEN on EHCP and tribunal guidance for a major SEND population segment, with a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Contact (formerly Contact a Family): UK charity supporting families of disabled children, including advice on SEN processes, EHCPs and welfare rights. Directly comparable parent-facing advice and support model, broader disability scope.
• IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice): UK charity providing free, independent SEN legal advice and tribunal support to parents. Closest comparable to SOS!SEN in mission, service mix (helpline, tribunal training, legal advice) and volunteer/professional hybrid delivery model.
• KIDS: UK charity working with disabled children, young people and their families across education, short breaks and SEND. Overlaps with SOS!SEN on parent-facing SEND information, advice and inclusion support.
• Special Needs Jungle: Parent-led UK information site providing SEN advice, EHCP guidance and tribunal resources. Closely comparable content-led model, more digitally native, smaller charity footprint.
• Cerebra: UK charity supporting families of children with neurological conditions, including SEND advice, EHCP guidance and tribunal resources. Comparable parent-facing advice and information model with a narrower condition remit.

Emerging players

• Ambitious about Autism: UK charity focused on autistic children and young people, providing information, education advocacy and SEND-related parent support. Comparable parent-facing advice function within a narrower disability segment.
• Disability Rights UK: UK pan-disability charity providing rights-based advice, welfare benefits support and advocacy. Partially overlapping with SOS!SEN on parent/disability rights navigation, with broader welfare-rights remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sos_sen
• Facebookfacebook.com/SOSSpecialEducationalNeeds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sos-special-educational-needs
• Instagraminstagram.com/sosspecialeducationalneeds

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 SOS! SEN