Living document · Updated as roles are confirmed

Specialist requirements

Everyone Bloom needs — to create the content, verify the curriculum, oversee safeguarding, and build the clinical credibility the product depends on. Organised by area, with engagement type and phase timing for each role.

Overview

The people Bloom cannot build without

Technology builds the engine. Specialists build the soul — and the credibility. No investor, school, or parent will trust a product for vulnerable children that cannot point to the humans behind it.

1
Non-negotiable before any child uses the product
7
Roles needed in Phase 0–1
6
Advisory panel members
17
Total specialist roles across all phases
The non-negotiable: A named, qualified Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) must be in place before any child interacts with Bloom in any context — prototype, beta, or production. This is not a Phase 2 consideration. It is the first specialist hire Bloom makes, regardless of what else is happening.
How to think about this list: Most of these roles do not require full-time employment. Many are advisory (quarterly involvement), contracted (project-based), or partnership (organisational relationships). The goal is not to build a large team — it is to build the right web of credible expertise around the product. A five-person advisory panel reviewed by IPSEA and including an educational psychologist and a clinical DSL is more valuable than five full-time hires.

Safeguarding

The roles that must exist before anything else

Safeguarding is not a feature that gets built when the product is ready. It is the condition under which the product is permitted to exist at all.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
A qualified DSL with experience in children's online safety and digital products. Named, accountable, and cannot be delegated. The single most important non-technical hire Bloom makes.
Phase 0 · Before any child
Responsibilities
  • Own and sign off the safeguarding policy
  • Review and approve all child-facing AI language before shipping
  • Named point of contact for all safeguarding concerns
  • Monthly protocol review — all flags reviewed, no exceptions
  • Annual external audit commissioned and overseen
  • Parent contact protocol written and maintained
Qualifications needed
  • Designated Safeguarding Lead training in line with KCSIE 2026
  • Experience with digital / online environments preferred
  • Familiarity with KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) framework
  • Understanding of neurodivergent children's specific vulnerabilities
  • Experience with referral pathways to CAMHS and social care
Where to find
  • Former school DSLs with EdTech interest
  • Child protection consultancies (e.g. Judicium Education)
  • NSPCC professional network
  • Online Safety specialists with SEND sector experience
  • Cannot be the founder — requires independence
Child Safety Consultant
External specialist to audit Bloom's safeguarding architecture annually and advise on emerging risks. Independent of the DSL — provides external validation that the system is robust.
Phase 2 · Annual audit
Responsibilities
  • Annual safeguarding audit against Bloom's policy and KCSIE
  • Review of AI detection model performance and false negative rate
  • Written report for board — stored permanently
  • Recommendations for the following year
Qualifications needed
  • Senior DSL or child protection lead background
  • Experience auditing digital products used by children
  • Familiarity with EdTech safeguarding landscape
Where to find
  • Judicium Education
  • Former Ofsted inspectors with SEND specialism

Curriculum

The people who make the learning real

Bloom's curriculum is not neurotypical content with accessibility overlays. It is rebuilt from learning objectives outward. That requires people who understand neurodivergent learning at a deep level — not just pedagogy in general.

Lead Curriculum Designer — Neurodivergent Specialism
The primary architect of Bloom's curriculum content across all subjects. Must understand CPA, UDL, mastery-based progression, and the specific cognitive profiles of ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.
Phase 1 · Contracted
Responsibilities
  • Author and structure the 40 MVP maths concepts (KS2 focus)
  • Map all content to UK National Curriculum objectives
  • Ensure CPA approach is consistent across all maths content
  • Advise on content sequencing for the knowledge graph
  • Review all AI-generated content for pedagogical accuracy
  • Expand to Literacy in Phase 2
Background needed
  • QTS with SEN or SEND specialism
  • Experience teaching neurodivergent children directly
  • Familiarity with NCETM Teaching for Mastery framework
  • Understanding of dyscalculia and maths anxiety
  • EdTech content authoring experience desirable
Where to find
  • SENCO networks (nasen.org.uk)
  • NCETM professional community
  • Specialist SEN schools and units
  • EdTech curriculum freelance networks
  • Approach NCETM directly for a review conversation
Educational Psychologist (EP) — SEND Specialism
Reviews curriculum content, the child model schema, and all AI tutor language for psychological safety and accuracy. Input on the feelings check-in design, the Self-Understanding subject, and the emotional regulation framework.
Phase 0–1 · Advisory
Responsibilities
  • Review the five feeling animals brief — which regulation states they should represent
  • Validate the child model schema for psychological soundness
  • Review the Self-Understanding subject content before publishing
  • Advise on the emotional check-in system design
  • Review AI tutor language for psychological safety
Background needed
  • Chartered EP (CPsychol) with SEND specialism
  • Experience with ADHD, autism, and associated profiles
  • Understanding of polyvagal theory and emotional regulation
  • Familiarity with alexithymia in neurodivergent children
Where to find
  • Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP)
  • Independent EP networks
  • University education psychology departments
  • Prof Amanda Kirby — neurodivergence research, Cardiff University
Experienced SENCO — National Profile
School-facing credibility for Bloom. Reviews the educator dashboard, EHCP reporting format, and school-facing communications. Advises on how real SENCOs think, what they need, and what will make Bloom genuinely useful in a school context.
Phase 2 · Advisory
Responsibilities
  • Review and validate the educator dashboard design
  • Ensure EHCP reports match what schools and LAs actually need
  • Advise on school procurement pathways and budget codes
  • Review the SENCO briefing content for accuracy
  • Act as a reference voice for school-facing communications
Background needed
  • NPQ for SENCOs (mandatory since September 2024) or the earlier NASENCO award
  • Experience managing EHCPs in a school context
  • Ideally primary and secondary experience
  • Understanding of how schools use EdTech in practice
Where to find
  • nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs)
  • Whole School SEND network
  • SENCO Forum (online community)
  • TES SEND community
Speech & Language Therapist (SALT)
Reviews all tutor AI language for accessibility to children with language processing difficulties, DLD (Developmental Language Disorder), and low verbal profiles. Advises on the voice-first writing approach in the Literacy curriculum.
Phase 1 · Contracted
Responsibilities
  • Review tutor AI vocabulary levels for different age groups
  • Advise on sentence complexity limits in the AI system prompt
  • Review the Literacy curriculum design for SALT best practice
  • Advise on AAC integration for low-verbal learners
Background needed
  • RCSLT registered
  • Experience with neurodivergent children
  • DLD and autism experience preferred
  • Understanding of AAC approaches
Where to find
  • Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)
  • Speech and Language UK (formerly I CAN) — children's communication charity
  • Independent SALT practices with school contracts

Clinical & Advisory Panel

The experts who give Bloom credibility

Parents of vulnerable children will not trust a product that cannot point to the humans behind it. The advisory panel is not decoration — it is the foundation on which parent trust is built.

Advisory panel structure: 5–7 specialists meeting quarterly. Each named publicly on the product (with consent). Each offered 0.1–0.25% advisory equity with standard vesting. No expectation of weekly involvement — quarterly review, on-demand consultation, and one annual deep-dive on the content and architecture they are responsible for validating.
Clinical CAMHS Professional
Validates Bloom's safeguarding architecture, the emotional regulation model, and the crisis detection thresholds. Named on the product as clinical adviser. Critical for NHS credibility in Phase 3.
Phase 1 · Advisory panel
Responsibilities
  • Review and validate the safeguarding detection thresholds
  • Advise on the emotional regulation model — is it clinically sound?
  • Review the crisis escalation pathway design
  • Provide clinical credibility for NHS / CAMHS partnership conversations in Phase 3
Background needed
  • CAMHS clinical background — psychiatry or clinical psychology
  • Experience with neurodivergent children and adolescents
  • Understanding of digital mental health tools and their risks
  • Interest in early intervention and prevention
Named suggestions
  • Dr Pooky Knightsmith — mental health in education, author, speaker
  • CAMHS consultant psychiatrist networks — approach via NHS Digital health agenda
  • Anna Freud Centre — children's mental health research
Neurodivergent Adult Advocate
Lived experience represented on the advisory panel. Reviews all product language, the Self-Understanding subject, and the overall tone of Bloom's approach to neurodivergence. The most important voice on the panel from a trust perspective.
Phase 0 · Advisory panel
Responsibilities
  • Review all product language for accuracy and authenticity
  • Validate that "different, not broken" framing lands correctly
  • Review the Self-Understanding subject content
  • Advise on which neurodivergent figures to celebrate and how
  • Public voice — willing to be named and speak about Bloom
Profile needed
  • Publicly identified as neurodivergent
  • Experience in education, advocacy, or children's sector
  • Credible public profile — parents will recognise the name
  • Genuinely aligned with Bloom's mission and values
Named suggestions
  • Siena Castellon — neurodiversity advocate, author of The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide
  • Dr Tony Lloyd — former CEO, ADHD Foundation (closed 2025); confirm current role
  • Ambitious About Autism — youth voice programmes
Neurodivergent Learning Researcher
Academic credibility for Bloom's pedagogical claims. Reviews the evidence base, advises on the research protocol for the Phase 3 RCT, and connects Bloom to the academic institutions it will need for clinical validation.
Phase 2 · Advisory panel
Responsibilities
  • Review Bloom's sources and evidence base
  • Advise on the Phase 3 RCT design and methodology
  • Connect Bloom to university research partnerships
  • Review curriculum claims for evidential accuracy
Background needed
  • Active researcher in neurodivergent learning or education
  • University affiliation (UCL, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff)
  • Publication record in SEN or learning differences
  • Interest in applied research with EdTech products
Named suggestions
  • Prof Amanda Kirby — neurodivergence research, Cardiff University
  • UCL Institute of Education — learning differences research group
  • University of Birmingham — education neuroscience

Content Creation

The people who write what children actually see

The tutor AI has a voice. The parent hub has a tone. The EHCP Support Centre has an authority. All of these require human writers with specific expertise — not generic copy.

Tutor AI Persona Writer
Writes and refines the tutor AI's system prompt, language rules, persona specification, and the 50 scenario tests. The voice the child hears every session. The most important content job in the product.
Phase 0 · Contracted
Responsibilities
  • Write the full tutor AI system prompt and persona specification
  • Define language rules — what the AI can and cannot say
  • Test persona against 50 child scenarios — does it hold?
  • Write the banned language list (starting with "wrong")
  • Advise on age-appropriate vocabulary levels across 6–16
Background needed
  • Experience writing for children across a wide age range
  • Understanding of neurodivergent communication needs
  • Familiarity with LLM prompting and AI persona design
  • Therapeutic or educational background strongly preferred
Where to find
  • Children's book authors with educational background
  • SEND-specialist teachers with writing experience
  • Therapeutic storytelling practitioners
  • EdTech content studios with SEN experience
EHCP Content Writer & Researcher
Writes the EHCP Support Centre content — the navigator, template letters, phone scripts, and tribunal guidance. Must be a parent who has been through the EHCP process, not a professional writing about it from the outside.
Phase 2 · Contracted
Responsibilities
  • Write the step-by-step EHCP navigator
  • Create template letters for every stage of the process
  • Write phone scripts and documentation guides
  • Research and maintain the SENDIAS regional directory
  • Update all content every 6 months as guidance changes
Profile needed
  • Parent who has personally navigated the EHCP process
  • Has fought a refusal or attended tribunal — and won
  • Clear, accessible writing ability
  • Reviewed and approved by IPSEA before publishing
  • Must be a lived-experience writer, not a professional proxy
Where to find
  • SEN parent Facebook groups — SOS!SEN, IPSEA community
  • Contact charity parent network
  • SEND blogger and parent advocate community
  • EHCP Action Group
Parent Hub Content Writer
Writes the Understanding Library, conversation starters, weekly digest templates, and Early Years guidance content. A warm, informed, non-clinical voice — a knowledgeable friend, not a professional document.
Phase 1–2 · Contracted
Responsibilities
  • Write condition-specific understanding guides for parents
  • Weekly digest template copy — warm, plain-language
  • Conversation starter cards for parents and children
  • Early Years activity library — 50+ play-based activities
  • School transition toolkit content
Background needed
  • Clear, warm writing voice — not clinical or corporate
  • SEND sector knowledge — parent, educator, or practitioner
  • Experience writing for anxious or overwhelmed readers
  • Understanding of the neurodivergent family journey
Where to find
  • SEND bloggers and parent community writers
  • Charity communications professionals (Contact, NAS)
  • Educational journalists with SEND specialism

Creative

The illustrations that are the heart of the product

The five feeling animals and the Bloom creature are not decoration. They are the primary emotional interface between the child and the product. They must be commissioned — not sourced — and they must be exactly right.

Why bespoke matters here: Stock illustrations or generic animal characters will signal to parents and children that this is a generic product. The feeling animals in particular must embody specific regulation states — this is a clinical design decision as much as an aesthetic one. The illustrator needs to understand what they are creating and why.
Children's Illustrator — Therapeutic / SEN Experience
Creates the five feeling animals, the Bloom creature, and the visual language of the child-facing product. This is the most important creative commission Bloom makes. The illustrator must have experience working in therapeutic or SEN contexts — not just children's publishing.
Phase 1 · Commissioned
What needs creating
  • Five feeling animals — each embodying a regulation state (not just emotions)
  • Multiple states per animal: resting, selected, transitioning
  • The Bloom creature — seed through to fully grown, multiple growth states
  • Animation guidance for each character
  • All assets must work at small (mobile) and large (tablet) sizes
  • Must feel warm and consistent from age 3 to 16
Brief requirements
  • Educational psychologist input on which five regulation states to represent
  • Brief developed with DSL review — safeguarding implications of character design
  • Full IP transfer — Bloom must own all rights
  • Culturally inclusive — must work across skin tones and cultural backgrounds
  • No existing stock characters or derivative work
Where to find
  • NSPCC and children's charity illustrator networks
  • Publishers specialising in SEN / therapeutic children's books
  • Zones of Regulation adjacent illustrators
  • AOI (Association of Illustrators) — SEN and educational category
  • Commission via an illustrator agent — brief must be exceptionally clear

Approach

How to build these relationships

Most of these people are not looking for a job. They are looking for a mission worth lending their name and expertise to. The pitch is not a job description — it is the product story.

Advisory panel — what to offer

  • →Advisory equity: 0.1–0.25% with standard vesting — enough to be meaningful, not enough to be distracting
  • →Named on the product with their consent — credibility for them as much as for Bloom
  • →Quarterly involvement only — respect their time, define the commitment clearly upfront
  • →Genuine influence over decisions in their domain — not a rubber stamp
  • →Early access to the product and the data it generates

The pitch — what to lead with

  • →Send the product story document first — the depth of the thinking is the pitch
  • →Be specific about what you need from them — not "advise on the product" but "review the Self-Understanding subject and tell us what we've missed"
  • →Connect the opportunity to their existing work — this should make their research or advocacy more impactful, not distract from it
  • →Be honest about where Bloom is — pre-build, seeking investment. The right people respect honesty over theatre
The sequencing priority: DSL first — before anything else, before any child. Educational psychologist second — needed for the feeling animals brief and the Self-Understanding subject. Neurodivergent adult advocate third — they should shape the product voice from the beginning, not review it at the end. Everything else follows from there, in phase order.