Residential Children’s Homes
Dharma Homes
Who We Are
What We Offer
At Dharma Homes, we provide safe, warm and welcoming homes for children and young people with complex needs and developmental trauma. Our homes are calm, predictable and nurturing—places where trust is rebuilt and potential can thrive. Our care is guided by clear, evidence-informed goals that we review regularly so progress is visible and meaningful. We join up care and daily learning in the home to make sure skills transfer to real life and stick. Life here is active and outdoorsy: weekly time in woodland and on a partner care farm helps children regulate, connect and grow in confidence. Our stable, trained teams use trauma-informed practice, gentle teaching and positive behaviour support to create consistent, relationship-based care.
Our Ethos
We believe every child can flourish with the right relationships, routines and opportunities. Dharma Homes is one step on a young person’s journey—an important chapter where safety, voice and belonging come first. Relationships come before process: children learn best by doing, moving and making, and every day offers small steps toward independence. Safeguarding is robust and proactive; we balance positive risk-taking with clear boundaries so children can try new things safely and build confidence. Equality, diversity and inclusion are central. We support each child to express who they are and feel valued, whatever their background or identity. We operate with strong health and safety systems to protect everyone who lives, works or visits our services.
Daily Life & Community Integration
Every day at Dharma Homes is designed to be meaningful and consistent. Living in our homes means being part of a stable, nurturing community where daily routines provide predictability and security. Children help shape their home-life — from decorating their rooms, choosing meals, participating in shared house activities and service decisions — so they feel ownership and belonging. Beyond the home, we encourage positive links with the local community: clubs, hobbies, volunteering and social groups so that young people build friendships, interests and pathways beyond their placement..
Specialist Needs & Individual Support
Many of the children we welcome arrive with complex needs — including developmental trauma, autism, learning disabilities or sensory differences. Dharma Homes has a dedicated approach to meeting those needs: we develop tailored support plans, collaborate with speech and language therapists, behaviour analysts, occupational therapists and psychologists, and equip our staff with training to understand and respond to each child’s unique profile. By delivering bespoke care and adapting the environment as needed, we aim to remove barriers and create opportunities for each young person to thrive..
Family Engagement & Partnerships
We recognise the vital role families and other support networks play in a children’s life. At Dharma Homes we actively involve parents, carers, siblings and significant others in the care process, wherever safe and appropriate. Our team works closely with the children to understand their attachments, relationships and hopes for the future. Through regular updates, open-communication meetings and joint planning sessions, we ensure that families feel included, informed and empowered. By building strong partnerships, we help children maintain important connections and strengthen their sense of belonging.
Independence & Transitions
At Dharma Homes we place real emphasis on helping children build the skills and confidence they need to move into adulthood. From the moment a child joins us we begin working on practical life skills such as learning, personal care and decision-making. We believe each child deserves a clear plan for the next stage of their life, and our teams support every transition with genuine preparation. Whether that means stepping into education, vocational training, our goal is to ensure children leave with a foundation of independence, self-esteem and resilience.
