As we get into the full swing of spring, it’s been a busy few months with lots of exciting updates. The first cohort of participants has started the new Graduate Diploma in Residential Childcare with Kingston University London, and there has been a lot of progress made on our second Home. Keep reading to see some photos of the strip-out works!
Our children in Treehouse are doing well and relationships in the Home continue to strengthen. They are looking forward to planned trips away, including bike riding in Wales, visiting family in Scotland and glamping in Devon. Our team builds loving, stable relationships with the children in our care, and these shared experiences away are vital and help to strengthen their relationships with the adults they trust.
Alongside the stability and care being provided at Treehouse, we are very proud that some of our team were invited to teach for the fourth time at . Our practitioners were also invited to guest lecture at Kingston University. Find out more below!
Back at our first Home and we enjoyed another Treehouse Olympics earlier this month. This year featured an inflatable assault course that led to some friendly competition between the team as well as the children. With the sun shining and music in the air, the day was complete with a delicious BBQ. These events are always a highlight in the calendar, bringing everyone together to have fun, enjoy each other’s company and do something a bit different!
First cohort of learners began the new Graduate Diploma
Earlier this year, the first cohort of 28 learners began our newly launched Graduate Diploma in Residential Childcare at Kingston University London.
This UK-first, degree-level course is designed to develop confident, reflective residential practitioners and leaders. Learners are supported to reflect on their own approaches, deepen their therapeutic practice, and connect with others who share a commitment to improving children’s experiences in residential care.
We’re delighted that demand for places exceeded expectations, with participant numbers more than doubling initial expectations and leading to the establishment of a northern hub to support national rollout of the course.
Now nearly a quarter of the way through the course, participants from over 15 children’s homes across the country, including three members of our Treehouse team, are learning how to put social pedagogy into practice. The flexible, work-based model has enabled practitioners with a wide range of experience to take part, from first-time practitioners to highly experienced service managers, creating rich opportunities for leaners to benefit from one another’s perspectives and experiences.
“The Graduate Diploma is an incredibly valuable experience for me. It genuinely complements my role as a Social Pedagogy Practitioner in a residential home, to the point where I see it as a core part of my job, not something separate. It’s inspirational learning alongside a group of like-minded professionals, all equally committed to supporting children in care through loving, nurturing relationships.”
As the first group settles into the programme, this marks an important step forward for workforce development across the sector, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the course continues to support and strengthen participants’ practice.
Applications are now open for the January 2027 cohort. You can find out more and apply on the Kingston University website: Graduate Diploma in Residential Work (Children’s) | Kingston University London
Exciting progress on our second children’s Home
After a great deal of thoughtful planning and design, we are pleased to announce that the first phase of the strip-out works is now complete, and the renovation will begin in the next few weeks.
Once again, we’re working with the architect behind our award-winning first Home. Shaped by the same thoughtfulness, ambition and therapeutic lens, this project will see a full renovation to create a nurturing home for up to five children, where relationships, stability and care can support healing and growth.
Over the coming months, we’re sharing behind-the-scenes updates as the property is transformed into a warm, welcoming home.
Growing our team
As we prepare for the opening of our new Home, we’re looking for a Registered Manager. This is a unique opportunity to lead and shape a new Home from the ground up and make a meaningful difference in children’s lives by creating a safe, nurturing environment to live in.
You’ll become part of a values-led organisation committed to excellent care, learning and staff development. You will benefit from learning and training opportunities, including a fully funded Level 6 (degree-level) qualification.
You have a chance to join a genuinely supportive, values-led charity with 100% staff retention. We fully fund Level 6 qualifications, helping to build a highly skilled team, and because we are a charity, any surplus is reinvested directly into our Homes and the children we support.
We’ll also be recruiting a range of roles for our new children’s Home in the coming months. If you’d like to be notified when we’re hiring for other roles, please let us know.
Find out more and apply to the Registered Manager role here: https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Catch22/744000103100577-children-s-home-registered-manager
Want to speak to us before applying? Email us at recruitment@lptrust.org.uk.
Sharing our learning
We’re continuing to contribute to national conversations about children’s social care through active engagement across the sector. We’re incredibly proud that several members of our team were invited to share their knowledge and expertise. Craig, Matilda, Jess, Tamara and Leoni delivered classes on how to put social pedagogy into practice for the Level 5 Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People course at The Mulberry Bush in Oxfordshire. Meanwhile, Neil and Millie have given guest lectures focused on child-centred communication and the importance of play at Kingston University London.
During these sessions, the team have spoken about applying social pedagogy, relational practice and trauma-informed approaches to create loving, nurturing environments for children in care.
Alongside the workshops and lectures, Punil, our Assistant Director, spoke at an event with Property with Purpose about what it really means to run values-led children’s homes. Similarly, our Director Emmanuel recently attended the Resolve Poverty Conference in Manchester and presented at SaFest, an online safeguarding festival attended by professionals from across the country.
Every child deserves stability, belonging and the experience of being cared for in a loving home. Opportunities like these enable us to connect with others and contribute to wider learning and change across the sector.
