Welcome To Kate Cares

At Kate Cares we are passionate about improving the lives and outcomes for Children, young people and their families.

About

About us

With over 25 years of experience and a fully trained staff team we can offer a range of services to support children, young people and families.

At Kate cares we offer supported accommodation for care leavers ages 16-18 years, this can include mother and baby or parents to be.

At Kate cares we are also trained to facilitate advise and offer guidance on healthy relationship work, life skills support, parenting advice guidance and support.

Respite support, baby massage, early years support and pre-natal support. This support can be within house or we can come to you.

We envision a future where our children experience positive outcomes, achieve their goals, and fulfil their ambitions from within a safe and nurturing environment. We are committed to providing lovely accommodation that fosters a sense of belonging and well-being.
Our relationship based approach is guided by a Trauma Informed approach, and using tools to foster a good quality of life within support sessions: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments (PERMA Seligman Positive Psychology Theory for Quality of Life). We also have an independence program with our own curriculum of modules for children to work through and gain practical life and home management skills -’ Life skills curriculum’. We create a positive environment that fosters the overall well-being of the child.

Our Services

Supported Accommodation

Kate Cares is an OFSTED registered provider of supported accommodation for care leavers aged 16-18 years.

We aim to provide the young people with a living environment which is suited to their own individual needs and which reflects the value we place upon each young person as an individual.
Ensure, through the provision of a safe and secure living environment, that we afford the young people the opportunity to build or rebuild confidence in their coping and problem-solving skills.
Provide the young people with the care and control to which they are entitled, offering opportunities to relate to adults who are able to demonstrate emotional commitment combined with professional integrity and safe boundaries to behaviour.
Create an environmental and living culture that is working towards therapeutic.
Ensure we promote the young people and allow their individual views to be represented.
Provide the young people with stimulation and opportunity through planned programmes tailored to meet individual needs.
Carry out effective care planning and reviews and promote partnership with young people's local authority and those with parental responsibility. Placement plans are reviewed quarterly or sooner as required, to ensure that placement plans are dynamic.
Ensure that we make educational and employment opportunities available to young people which take into account their current needs, abilities and emotional capacity.
Ensure that we are teaching valuable life skills such as cooking, budgeting, self care and environmental care.

In our commitment to providing high-quality care, we will also work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), ensuring that their unique needs are met with sensitivity and understanding. Our staff are trained to offer tailored support that considers the cultural, emotional, and developmental challenges these young people face. We strive to create a safe, nurturing environment where they can feel secure and valued, while also promoting their integration and independence. By working closely with external agencies, we ensure that each child receives comprehensive care, safeguarding their well-being and helping them navigate their new circumstances with confidence

More Info

Mother and Baby support

All of our staff are trained to support a young parent through their pregnancy and after the birth of their child.
This will be risk assessed based on anyone else living within the home. We will also do robust checks and risk assessments on anyone else that may move in after the pregnancy/ birth.
If it is safe to do so, within the home we will ensure that both mother and baby are supported during their time at Lennon House.
Staff have experience and training in prenatal support, post natal support. The early days, attachment and bonding, Baby massage, weaning and positive parenting.
Staff have close links with the local Children centres and mother and baby groups.
Staff will support the mother and baby to feel safe and secure within the home and make sure that reasonable adjustments are made within the home if necessary.
Staff will be able to facilitate sessions on preparing for a baby as part of a 4 week programme created specifically for pregnancy and preparing for the birth.
Staff will be able to facilitate sessions on play, attachment, oral health, stimulation and weaning as part of a 6 week programme specifically for new parents.
Healthy relationship work with couples and on a 1:1 basis

Out reach work and support

We are able to offer support to families in parenting strategies, managing behaviours and child development.

We are able to facilitate healthy relationship work with young people and also provide an out reach mentor service for as and when required.

Our mentor roles involves

Ongoing support with health, safety and personal well being
The mentor will be a safe point of regular contact and support. The mentor will plan the week ahead directly with the young person. Ensuring that they can achieve more worthwhile and quality time with the young person.
Teach a range of cooking skills and food preparation skills
Offer expert advice and support based on trauma informed and systemic practices.
Signpost to relevant support agencies and assisting with referrals.
Teach the young people about health and nutrition
Help the young people to book and attend medical / employment appointments or interviews
Help the young people to maintain a good home environment - cleaning products and good food hygiene
Support with budgeting skills and helping them to understand the cost of living
Promoting their education, training and employment opportunities and supporting them with making applications, gain experience through voluntary work.
Support to build positive relationships and learn how to manage conflicts in relationships
Help them to explore hobbies and interests that they can pursue when living independently to increase their confidence
Share information and knowledge about health and safety risks and how to manage them
Support the young people to travel independently or learn to drive.
support the young people with family time contact and building positive relationships.

Meet the Team at Kate Cares

Director and Founder of Kate Cares

Kate Allen

Kate has over 25 years of experience working with children and over a decade of senior leadership within children’s residential services and a proven track record with OFSTED. Kate has a BA Hons in Social Sciences, a PG Dip in Careers Guidance and a Level 5 in Leadership and management Health and Social Care, a Level 3 in Health and Social Care Children and Young People and Early Years Childcare and Education. Kate is an experienced therapeutic practitioner trained in trauma informed care- Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy/ Dr Bruce Perry Neurosequential Model/ Theraplay/ Parenting Assessment Mode PAMS.
A Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead. Kate has had a passion for supporting inclusion and equal opportunity all her career and previously founded a charity that supports children with Autism and their siblings called Inside Out, this has been running twenty years and is affiliated with the National Autistic Society. Kate also has a history of running parenting workshops and consultancy for baby rooms in Nursery schools and specialises in Baby Massage and Sensory play. Kate has a consultancy business for social care providers and is a Responsible Individual for a Children’s Home as well as a Regulation 44 visitor. Kate has created a support model which focuses on outcomes and the quality of life for children alongside effective risk management.

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Operations manager and early years advisor

Alena Campbell

Alena has over 25 years experience working with Children and families and has a passion for improving the outcomes of children and young people.

Qualified with a Level 7 in leadership and strategic management, a Level five in leadership and management of a social care setting (for children and young people), a diploma in family and community care and a level 3 in supporting young people with complex needs.
She spent 7 years working within children's residential services in Gloucestershire as a senior practitioner for children in care aged 11-17. Following on from this she worked in a local sure start children centre supporting young mums and Dads to be (14-21yrs) and their children for the first five years. This role enabled her to help the young people to achieve great outcomes for their future.

Trained in facilitating parenting, pre natal, post natal and domestic abuse courses.
14 years ago Alena took a step into management and subsequently became the Children services manager for early help and targeted family support in Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.

Mentor, outreach support and course facilitator

Esther Caffell

Esther has supported children, young people and families for more than twenty years with some experience in residential homes in the West Midlands, as well as working for an independent fostering agency covering the East and West Midlands for over a decade. More recently she has worked in Children and Family Centres in Gloucestershire.Esther completed her A1 NVQ Assessors Award and her Level 4 - Intense support for families with complex needs.Esther has a wealth of experience in working directly with children and young people, encouraging them to share their thoughts, wishes and feelings and helping them to explore ways to express these in a healthy, productive way. She has supervised contact between children and their family members, supported young people in completing Life Story work / Memory Books and also Preparation for Adoption work.Esther enjoys facilitating training and has delivered parenting programmes to parent groups and has trained colleagues and professionals to facilitate these groups.She is an accomplished trainer delivering training across the country to foster carers, health visitors, social workers and other support staff.

Youth support, outreach worker and Young person Mentor

Jackelyn Bradley

Jackelyn has over 15 years' experience working with children, young people and families. She completed a social work degree which involved placements in a primary school and with the Youth Offending Team, then spent ten years working in Residential and Supported Accommodation settings, including seven years in managerial roles.
Jackelyn is qualified to Level 5 Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. Jackelyn prides herself on building great relationships with children and young people and developing their independence skills to support positive outcomes for them

At Kate Cares, our staff are trained in:

Safeguarding level 3
Trauma informed practices (ACES)
PERMA model
First Aid- adult and paediatrics
Child sexual exploitation
Children's mental health
FGM
Honour based violence and forced marriage
Prevent
Substance misuse
Self harm
Equality and diversity
GDPR
Team Teach
Restorative practice
Healthy relationships
Positive parenting
Domestic abuse
Bullying and harassment
Food and Nutrition
Life skills
Baby Massage
Pre natal support
Post natal support
Attachment and bonding
supporting UASC Children and young people.

Welcome to Kate Cares supported accommodation.

Our mission is to provide safe, quality accommodation and support to children so that children can take control of their quality of life, fostering opportunities to make good progress and work towards their plans and goals.

We can support children aged 16-18 years with various needs, our homes are able to suit Children that may need solo placements with additional staff support and supervision. We also have communal living support available.

Monroe House
Is a two bedroom home in walking distance of the train station and the town centre, communal kitchen and lounge area and shared garden area.
Lennon House
Is a three storey, three bedroom town house located in the heart of Cheltenham. Lounge Diner and Kitchen.
Seal House
One bedroom detached home in central Cheltenham with parking, lounge diner and kitchen.

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Career/ volunteer opportunities
At Kate Cares.

Zero Hour contracts currently available

Kate Cares offers all employees :

A Full induction programme.
A fully comprehensive core training programme.

Encourage innovative and creative thinking.

Reflective practice in induction, supervision and Personal development plans

Peer to peer reflective meetings and team building activities

Regular team meetings and management support

generous holiday entitlement
Pension scheme

Competitive pay and conditions.

At Kate Cares we practice safer recruitment, equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion.

As part of our recruitment process all successful applicants are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

As an Equal Opportunities employer, we welcome all applicants irrespective of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability.