Next Products
Research synthesised from a multi-model council session (March 2026), exploring what Spectrum Dynamics could build next beyond SpektraBot.
The meta-point
Almost every model in the council independently reached the same framing: CIC status is a strategic asset, not just a legal structure. Local authorities, NHS bodies, and charities will share sensitive data with a CIC that they would not give to a commercial vendor. The asset lock and public-benefit remit are procurement advantages. Several models explicitly named the revenue model: sell to local authorities and the NHS; keep it free or cheap for families. That is the business sitting in plain sight.
High-consensus product ideas
These were mentioned by four or more models independently, which is about as reliable a signal as you get from this kind of research.
1. Transitions Navigator (the 16 to 25 cliff edge)
The single most-cited gap across all 11 responses. When young people leave SEND services at 18 to 25, they lose everything: their EHCP, their professional relationships, their established support. They then have to restart from scratch in the adult Care Act system, a completely different legal framework with higher eligibility thresholds, different language, and no continuity with what came before.
Spectrum Dynamics uniquely holds expertise on both sides of this divide. A tool that maps EHCP provisions to equivalent adult services, surfaces LA-specific local offer content at key transition dates (Year 9, age 16, age 17.5), and generates compliant documentation (draft transition assessment requests, continuity planning letters) addresses one of the most dangerous cliff-edges in UK public services.
This is probably the most obvious next product. See the deep research section below for the full statutory framework and product design analysis.
2. SEND Tribunal and appeal support
SEND tribunal appeals are rising sharply and over 60% of appellants are unrepresented. An AI tool that helps parents organise evidence, understand the legal tests, draft skeleton arguments, and map to relevant case law addresses a serious access-to-justice gap. Commercial legal tech will not touch it because the margins aren't there. Multiple models noted that parent communities distrust commercial legal tech but would trust Spectrum. This is perfect CIC territory.
A related killer metric from SpektraBot's own analysis: SEND tribunal cases cost the public purse £25,000 to £30,000 each, and 96% of appeals that reach tribunal are decided in the family's favour. Every avoided tribunal saves the public sector money. The tool practically sells itself to LAs on cost-avoidance grounds.
3. Benefits and entitlements checker
Families dealing with SEND or adult care are usually also entitled to DLA, PIP, Carer's Allowance, Disabled Facilities Grants, council tax reductions. Most do not claim them. The user overlap with SpektraBot is near-total. This extends the value chain with minimal new infrastructure and could significantly increase impact per user.
4. Unpaid carer support tool
There are roughly 5 to 6 million unpaid carers in England. Most do not know their rights under the Care Act: carer's assessments, the right to respite, charging protections. This is fundable through NHS England, Carers UK, or the National Lottery. It is a natural extension of SpektraCare's existing knowledge base.
5. SENCO and professional copilot
SENCOs are overwhelmed. A professional-tier tool with AI-assisted EHCP drafting, deadline management, LA communication templates, and CPD content has a B2B model. Schools pay. Multiple models flagged this as the most commercially viable near-term idea, because the buyer (the school's SLT) feels the pain directly and controls the budget.
6. Local Offer API and data infrastructure
Spectrum already parses and ingests LA Local Offer content to power SpektraBot. Productising that as a structured API, for developers, charities, and researchers, creates compounding value. It positions Spectrum as the data infrastructure layer for the SEND sector, which is a different kind of moat from product features.
Transitions Navigator: deep research
A second council session went deeper on the Transitions Navigator specifically. This is a synthesis of that research.
The statutory framework
Transition support for young people with SEND is spread across three pieces of legislation that work in parallel but do not always align.
Children and Families Act 2014 (CFA) creates the EHC plan system. Under s.44, LAs must maintain EHCPs up to age 25 where the young person remains in education or training. The SEND Code of Practice (2015), Chapter 8, requires transition planning (called 'Preparing for Adulthood') to begin from Year 9 (age 13 to 14). The four statutory outcomes are: employment, independent living, community participation, and health and wellbeing.
Care Act 2014 creates parallel duties. Section 58 requires LAs to conduct a transition assessment when there is a significant likelihood that a young person will have care and support needs after 18. Section 24 imposes continuity duties: where children's services cease, adult services must step in without a gap. The Care Act assessment should be completed six months before the young person's 18th birthday, but LAs frequently miss this.
The eligibility mismatch is the core failure. EHC plan eligibility is based on educational need. Care Act eligibility requires inability to achieve two or more 'specified outcomes' without care. Many young people (particularly those with autism or specific learning difficulties) lose their EHCP at 18 but don't meet the Care Act threshold either. They fall through a gap that both frameworks were supposed to prevent.
Where things go wrong
The failure modes concentrate at three points.
Year 9 (age 13 to 14). Transition planning begins but post-16 provisions often lack specificity. Plans describe aspirations, not concrete steps.
Age 17.5. LAs must notify adult services of impending transitions (Care Act s.58(9)) but frequently delay. The transition assessment that should be underway is often not started until after the young person turns 18.
Age 18. EHCP-based support ends. If the Care Act assessment has not been completed, or if the young person does not meet the eligibility threshold, they enter a void. This is the cliff edge. It is systemic, documented, and according to the 2023 SEND Improvement Plan still unresolved.
Transition-related appeals make up a significant and growing share of the 11,000+ SEND tribunal cases filed in 2022 to 23. LA performance varies dramatically: the 2023 Ofsted/CQC inspections found roughly 20% of LAs rated inadequate on transitions.
What existing tools do not do
SENDIASS, Contact, and IPSEA all provide good static guidance. LA Local Offer websites exist but are often out of date and hard to work through. No tool currently:
- Provides personalised guidance based on a young person's specific profile (age, diagnosis, EHCP status, LA).
- Surfaces LA-specific local offer content at the right statutory trigger points.
- Generates compliant transition documents (draft s.58 assessment request letters, EHCP continuation request letters).
- Monitors key dates and prompts action.
That is the gap.
Product design: what would actually help
Based on the research, the highest-value interventions are at the statutory trigger points:
| Trigger | Age | What the tool should do |
|---|---|---|
| Year 9 annual review | 13 to 14 | Generate a 'Preparing for Adulthood' timeline; flag missing EHCP outcomes |
| Post-16 transition | 16 to 17 | Map education options; identify supported internship providers in the LA |
| Care Act notification | 17.5 | Draft the s.58 notification letter; explain the transition assessment process |
| 18th birthday | 18 | Confirm Care Act eligibility status; document continuity duties if a gap exists |
| Age 25 or EHCP end | 25 | Map to any remaining adult services; flag appeal options if EHCP is being ceased unfairly |
The core AI value is in personalisation: taking a specific young person's profile and generating a research report on what their LA actually offers, what the eligibility thresholds are locally, and what documents they should request.
Why Spectrum Dynamics is positioned to build this
- Already holds the legal framework knowledge across both children's and adult services (SpektraBot plus SpektraCare).
- Already ingests LA Local Offer content for 143+ LAs.
- CIC status means LAs will engage and share data they would not share with a commercial vendor.
- Transition families are the same families already using SpektraBot. There's no new user acquisition cost, just extending the journey.
Recommended priority order
Based on the council research and Spectrum's current position:
- Transitions Navigator. Highest impact, most cited, builds on existing infrastructure.
- SEND Tribunal Support. Access-to-justice gap, fits CIC mission, no commercial competition.
- SENCO Copilot. Most commercially viable near-term, clearest B2B buyer.
- Benefits Checker. Fastest to build on top of existing SpektraBot knowledge.
- Unpaid Carer Tool. Strong mission fit; funding route through SpektraCare's adult care focus.
- Local Offer API. Infrastructure play; medium term but creates the strongest moat.