Specialist care rooted in safety, stability
Who we are
Our mission
To give every child in our care a safe, supportive home and a team that is committed to helping them heal, grow, and move forward.
Our ethos
We believe in a hopeful future for all young people, even when their path forward may be unclear and we are committed to finding solution focussed approaches for complex situations. Our Approach is based on foundations of safety, stability and support. Each home is designed to create a calm, secure space for recovery. We offer consistency, routine, and genuine supportive relationships. Our teams use trauma-informed practice and therapeutic techniques to meet each child where they are.
Our values
Transparency: We are honest in our communications and do not make promises we can’t keep. If we make mistakes we own them and do our best to fix them.
Respect: We believe that all adults and young people deserve to be treated with respect. Respect does not need to be earned through positive behavior.
Kindness: We believe in kindness as a way of being, we strive to treat each other, and ourselves, with gentleness, compassion, and love, even in difficult moments.
Reliability: We are committed to each other, we continue to be present, we do not give up. We can be trusted to be consistent.
Adaptability: We are child-centred and work flexibly to meet young people where they are. We have high hopes for young people and are proactive in supporting them to meet their individual goals.
Meet the Team
Peter Whitworth, Responsible Individual
Peter Whitworth has over 20 years' experience working in residential childcare. Peter has been a Registered Manager for large children's home services and has also a wide range of experience in setting up new children's home services. Peter as our Responsible Individual has supported Holden Knight growing their services and has been an integral part when developing and expanding the organisation to support local authorities with their children and young people at most need. Peter is dedicated to ensure that children and young people are supported in the Holden Knight children's homes therapeutically with highly trained and skilled staff who maintain and create a warm and nurturing environment.Dr. Louise Hendry, Head Of Therapy and Lead Clinical Psychologist
Louise joined Holden Knight in August 2024 to establish our in House Therapy Service. She has worked with National Residential Childcare Providers, Local Authorities and the NHS, and has specialised in working in Social Care with 15 years experience, including invaluable time spent as a Support Worker and Deputy Manager prior to training as a Clinical Psychologist. Louise has authored peer-reviewed research articles focussed on improving residential services and is responsible for developing, embedding, and evaluating our therapeutic approach.Melanie Ambrose, Regional Operations Manager
Melanie joined the organisation in March 2025. She has 30 years' experience working in Children's Services and has worked in many roles from support worker, Deputy Manager and Registered Manager. Melanie has also worked as a Commissioner for Manchester Local Authority and is passionate about children and young people receiving the highest standard of care and support. She has previously managed a home that was judged to be Outstanding, and is heavily involved in the development of residential services.Leonna Sharkey, Homes Manager at Aspen Ridge and Studd Brow
Leonna has worked for the organisation since July 2023 and has experience working in residential for over 10 years, 6 of which she was a deputy manager. Leonna is a qualified and registered Social Worker (BA hons) and has completed further leadership and management training. She is passionate about supporting young people.Kelly Delaney, Registered Manager at Dahlia and Sanaa House
Kelly started working with Holden Knight in April 2024. She has over 20 years' experience working with vulnerable adults and children with a diverse range of needs. She was recently Registered Manager for a therapeutic placement for children and young people with mental health disorders. Kelly has completed her level 5 diploma in leadership and management following end point assessment and has her level 3 and 4 in health and social care.Che Cain, Registered Manager at House O'th Hill
Che is the newly appointed Registered Manager at House O'th Hill, having commenced employment on 1st September. Che brings over 16 years of extensive knowledge and experience in the field. With six years of prior managerial experience, Che successfully led a team that achieved an Outstanding rating in all assessed areas for two consecutive years. Che holds professional qualifications including an NVQ Level 3 and a Level 5 Diploma in Childcare, underscoring a strong commitment to high standards of care and leadership.
Our Therapeutic Approach
Drawing on the most up to date evidence base for working with young people who have experienced adversity, our therapeutic approach is sequential, developmentally informed, and relationship led. Centred around the key tasks of therapeutic parenting and trauma recovery, our model prioritises establishing physical and emotional safety at all levels, while sequentially working on building trusting relationships, showing care in ways young people can tolerate and accept, and, when the young person is ready, building the skills and knowledge they need to process their trauma and move forward.
Our Therapeutic Approach
Drawing on the most up to date evidence base for working with young people who have experienced adversity, our therapeutic approach is sequential, developmentally informed, and relationship led. Centred around the key tasks of therapeutic parenting and trauma recovery, our model prioritises establishing physical and emotional safety at all levels, while sequentially working on building trusting relationships, showing care in ways young people can tolerate and accept, and, when the young person is ready, building the skills and knowledge they need to process their trauma and move forward.
Contact Our Placement Team
Ready to see how we can partner with you to support young people thrive?
Contact Our Placement Team
Ready to see how we can partner with you to support young people thrive?