Residential care is under pressure. Fewer foster carers are available, needs are more complex, options are narrowing and too many children and young people still do not experience the safety, stability or care they deserve.
Our story
The problem, the solution and the plan.
Children and young people's residential care is under strain. Homes for Kids exists as its own independent legal entity, offering an ethical alternative where care is shaped around children and young people's lives, not profit.
The problem
The system is paying too much for care which fails too many children and young people.
High fees driven by profit maximisation can cost councils up to £3.3m per year per child, pushing many local authorities to the brink of insolvency.
Last year across England and Wales, 37,600+ children and young people were placed outside their local areas, away from their friends and families. Furthermore, 710 unregulated settings were reported to Ofsted, leaving already vulnerable children and young people at serious risk of abuse.
The solution
A child-centred model of care.
Homes for Kids is a charity because care should never be driven by profit. Every decision is made to give children and young people the best life possible.
Our homes are small, calm, personal and predictable with consistent adults who keep showing up when things are difficult.
Care is trauma-informed and relationship-led. We work with education, health and therapeutic professionals to support our young children and young people.
The plan
Providing more than just a placement.
We are led by children and young people's voices, asking, listening and adapting so what we deliver reflects real lives, not assumptions.
Any surplus is held by Homes for Kids and reinvested into safer homes, stronger staff training, better support, innovation and long-term stability.
We invest in our team because homes alone don't create safety; outstanding people do.
Articles
Ideas, evidence and children’s voices.
Research & insight
Case for change
Why children’s residential care needs a sustainable, purpose-led approach centred on better outcomes.
Read the articleChildren’s voices
Voice of the child
Listening to children and young people and ensuring their experiences shape the care they receive.
Read the articleComing soon
RCCs
Exploring the role of residential childcare and the people creating safe, stable homes.