Sendcode CIC

SENDCode CIC is a digital agency that employs neurodivergent young people and provides structured work experience opportunities for students from our partner college, DISC. We are funded through commercial commissions, including website development, video production, podcasting, graphic design and social media services. Several of our employees are supported through DWP Access to Work grants, enabling us to ensure their individual needs are met. This allows us to provide tailored workplace support for our employees and freelancers, helping them to carry out their roles effectively. Our purpose is to create sustainable, paid career pathways into the digital sector for neurodivergent young people by running a real agency that delivers real work for real clients. During the year, 11 people worked for or with us, 7 directly employed and 4 freelancers of whom 100% identify as neurodivergent. All are paid above the Real Living Wage. Social audit report covering these points: SENDCode CIC's target community and core aims, when first incorporated in 2019, stated that: The company’s activities will be carried out for the benefit of individuals with social and communication difficulties, social anxiety and/ or neurodiversity. The company will also provide benefit to the families of the aforementioned groups. The way SENDCode would do this were: To intervene at the earliest possible opportunity to inspire socially anxious and/or neurodiverse young people to aspire to careers in the Digital economy. To provide bespoke 1:1 and group support to people in the target group who have an interest in Digital career pathways. To develop a network to empower parents/ carers of people within our target group to be able to access free support for their children. To provide training to other organisations who wish to better meet the needs of the target group and their families. To provide a ‘shop-window’ individual portfolio webpage for our target group to allow them to promote their skills. Main Activities which enable SENDCode to deliver our core aims. SENDCode Digital agency. This year we grew the permanent team, adding 2 employees who had previously been freelancers at the start of the business year, on three-day-a-week contracts and a further employee, who transferred across from Digital Advantage on a one day per week contract. In the freelance team, 2 new interns came on board from July 2025 and worked with us one day a week. Several of the employees are supported by DWP Access to Work grants, which fund a range of adjustments tailored to individual employees. These include specialist equipment to one-to-one job coaching. This is what makes it possible for our team to sustain employment in a sector that rarely accommodates the way they work. Over the year we provided work experience on live client briefs to four interns from DISC. Between them they spent over 500 hours working alongside our staff on developing their skills whilst contributing to live briefs. This is not a supplementary activity - the interns work alongside our employees on the same commissions, which means the quality bar is the same and the experience is genuine. Commissions and Client Work This year's commissions spanned NHS Trusts, local and combined authorities, national charities, and commercial clients. The work is described below, but the thread running through all of it is that our employees and interns on work experience were involved in production, which means every commission also functioned as supported employment. The largest single piece of work was the website build for GMAC and Manchester University Foundation Trust, consolidating services for autistic young people, adults, parents and carers across Greater Manchester. Our employees participated directly in the co-production process - attending focus groups and conducting alpha testing - which meant the end product was shaped by people with lived experience of the system it describes, not just by the commissioners. We co-produced a series of educational videos, “Just Ask Me” with the Greater Manchester Autism Consortium who are part of the National Autistic Society (NAS), and also included a collaboration with Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN). This was a series of six videos to raise awareness and increase understanding around experiences and challenges autistic students face to be shown to teachers across Greater Manchester. In May 2025 these were premiered at HOME cinema in Manchester to all the young people that were involved in the project as well as prominent figures involved in SEND education across the region. We wanted to collectively celebrate this project that had a massive impact on all the organisations involved, and has since reached more schools and other organisations. For Greater Manchester Combined Authority we produced a series of travel training videos, also screened at HOME cinema in June 2025. We also created travel training booklets and leaflets for the Manchester Travel Training Partnership. We managed social media for Claritas, and produced regular newsletters for them which were emailed out to their subscribers as well keeping their website and blog up to date. We launched a podcast series for the Manchester Local Offer visiting events and showcasing provision and activities available to SEND young people across Greater Manchester. This also saw us work with SEND schools across Manchester, running workshops with them to get involved with the production and editing of the podcast. Key Supporter: Manchester City Council Manchester City Council have been one of our biggest supporters this year. With a commitment to commission the agency for numerous projects and in doing so we have been able to employ the FTE of 1.5 members of our team who are also Manchester residents. Their continued investment in SENDCode is significant not just financially but because it signals to other commissioners that this model - a supported, neurodivergent-led agency producing professional digital work, is worth funding. Events, Presentations and Public Profile Our Founder presented at the BEE Neuro Inclusive Code of Best Practice launch event in Manchester in October 2025. An event attended by people from across the country and with a recorded message from the Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham who was unfortunately unable to attend at short notice. The NAS video premiere at HOME cinema, Manchester, May 2025. Screening of GMCA travel training videos at HOME cinema, Manchester, June 2025. Our studio director and creative director delivered a talk as part of BASE’s lunch and learn series . In addition, our Studio Director also presented at the Neuro-inclusive Organisations Network event in March 2025. Digital Independent Specialist College (DISC) Our close working partnership with Digital Advantage CIO who operate DISC continues to be the pipeline through which young people move from supported education into employment with the agency. DISC received its Ofsted inspection this year of Good overall with two areas that were outstanding. SENDCode's contribution to the college's provision - specifically as the Host Employer for the Supported Internship programme, offering work experience, mentoring and the provision of a working environment where young ND creatives can flourish all enhanced the offer from DISC. The Heads of Terms between SENDCode and Digital Advantage were extended until July 2026 allowing staff and cost sharing across both organisations. This mattered because it formalised the pathway and gave both organisations - and the young people moving between them - clarity. From September 2025 two of the DISC interns who had previously been on work experience were offered paid freelance work in website building and videography. Our community Young people with social and communication difficulties, social anxiety and/ or neurodiversity. Parents, carers and siblings of those young people - both employees in the agency and interns at DISC. Schools, colleges and other post 16 providers who work with neurodivergent young people. Local authorities who commission content creation work with the agency to reach their SEND community. Employers who wish to have support and training about best practice in providing a neuro-inclusive workplace. Other third sector organisations that align with our vision of supported employment in the creative industries. Community Benefits We directly and indirectly employ 7 people from within our community, all paid above Real Living Wage. In addition we commission 4 other ex interns as freelancers and again pay above the real living wage. The supported pathway from DISC into the agency is the clearest community benefit we offer, it is something that did not exist before SENDCode and DISC were operating together, and it gives young people and their families a concrete, achievable goal rather than a vague aspiration. Our employees attend monthly GM Local Offer drop-ins at locations across Greater Manchester, supporting families and young people with information about provision - often presenting content they have produced themselves. This is outreach that works precisely because the people doing it have been through the same system. The GMAC/MFT website will be the most significant public-facing resource for autistic young people and adults across Greater Manchester. Our employees helped shape it. We have supported several commercial clients with practical advice on neuro-inclusive employment. These are organisations with long-term commitments to changing how they recruit and retain neurodivergent staff, and they came to us because our model is the evidence base.