Smartbox is joining the CareTech group

We are delighted to share that Smartbox is joining the CareTech group of companies.

The Smartbox business has new ownership, following a successful bid from the Smartbox Board team and a UK company called CareTech. Smartbox will continue to be led by one of its founders, with Dougal Hawes taking on the role of Managing Director from his brother Barney, who will be remaining part of the Board team. We are very excited to have formed this new partnership and look forward to a bright and secure future that will help us reach even more people who need assistive technology.

CareTech offers the perfect home for Smartbox given their role as a leading provider of specialist social care and education services, supporting adults and children with a wide range of complex needs. They work with around 4,500 individuals in more than 550 facilities and specialist schools, supporting people across the UK and more recently in the UAE as part of their expansion into the Middle East and North Africa.

Both CareTech and Smartbox have been helping people with complex physical and cognitive challenges for over 20 years. By coming together with our combined knowledge and experience, we are in the best position to work towards our shared vision of a world that is inclusive and accessible to everyone.

An estimated 50 million people worldwide need AAC, yet only around 10% of those people have access to it, our new partnership brings us closer to addressing that gap within the AAC community. With our passion for technology and creative approach, we also look forward to supporting CareTech in continuing to provide innovative service pathways for disabled children and adults.

Over the coming weeks we will share more information about CareTech and fellow organisations within the group, including Purple who specialise in supporting disabled people into employment. They also work with companies to address disability inclusion in the workplace, an issue we are aware of and something we want to do more about.

Our first step in our journey together with CareTech and organisations like Purple, will be getting to know each other! We have plans for our teams to start collaborating and sharing knowledge over the coming weeks, helping us bring care and technology together in new ways for the benefit of our users.

From the outside you will not see much change as CareTech will become a parent company of Smartbox. Smartbox will continue to work as it does now, under the same brand and with the same team of amazing Smartboxers – we will just be part of something bigger!

We are delighted to share this news with you and will be hosting some open sessions for questions so watch this space. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch:

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Email us at hello@thinksmartbox.com

Call us on +44 (0) 1684 578868

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