About Us
Who we are
Budwood was established in 2018 with a clear focus on providing young people with high quality care and support. We are committed to improving the lives of looked after young people providing bespoke packages of care and support to suit their individual needs.
The aim of our service is to provide young people with a comfortable, family-style home where they will receive high levels of care, support, nurture, and guidance to ensure their safety. We offer intensive support to understand each child’s unique needs, minimize immediate risks, help them settle and calm, and plan for their next placement.
Budwood has four children’s homes and six 16+ supported accommodation homes across Dorset and Hampshire ranging from multi-occupancy and single-occupancy. We are extremely proud of the growth and commitment of our employees and young people alike. We are a valued, accredited, and highly acclaimed provider within the sector.
Our experienced team, which includes qualified senior social workers and a psychologist, will conduct an initial assessment to aid in care planning and decision-making. This assessment will form the foundation for tailored support, ensuring that each child receives the appropriate care and attention to thrive in a safe and nurturing environment.
Our People
Senior Managers
Neil Gray
Chief Operations Officer and Responsible Individual
Neil has over 30 years’ experience in working with looked after children and young people and is a Registered Social Worker with a postgraduate diploma in Leadership and Management.
Andy Smallpiece
Area Manager (East)
Sara Hartoq
Area Manager (West)
Children’s Home Registered Managers
Kelly Stroud
Robert Watson
Lisa Cox
Supported Accommodation Home Managers
Jessica Campbell
Sharon Mcquire
Bartosz Kwiatkowski
Cassie Sheenan
Rachel Crowe
Jenny Stone
“Budwood are by far the best care provider I have come across. The staff are enthusiastic about their role and you get a sense that each of them strives to get to know the young person and give them the best possible support they can. Their communication with professionals is outstanding and this has enabled me to be able to do my job better too. I would recommend them in an instant.”
Social Worker
Part of the Polaris Community
As one of the largest providers of children’s services and the very first provider of independent fostering in the UK, our community of services span the length and breadth of the whole of the UK.
We provide an extensive range of children’s services, which have grown and developed over our 30+ year history to ensure we can support children across a wide range of needs. By combining our community’s wide scale of services, as well as our local links, we’re transforming the future of children and children’s services.
The Polaris Community has a united commitment to measure and maximise our social value; defining it as ‘The positive emotional, environmental and economic impact we have on the Polaris community and wider society’. This includes opportunities we offer staff and our children and young people, but also how we work with suppliers, create job and training opportunities and our impact on the environment.