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Experienced, Compassionate, and Child-Centred.
Our team brings decades of combined experience in children’s residential care, social work, education, and therapeutic practice. With a deep commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality support, we tailor every aspect of our care to meet the unique needs of each child and young person in our home.
We believe in the transformative power of nurturing relationships, clear communication, and choice. By working closely with the children, their families, schools, and other professionals, we develop bespoke care plans that respect each young person’s identity, autonomy, and aspirations. This approach fosters independence, confidence, and personal growth.
Proud history of nurturing, therapeutically-informed residential care.
Progress Lives has a proud history of providing nurturing, therapeutically-informed residential care for children and young people with complex needs. Over the years, the service has built a reputation for creating safe, stable, and supportive homes where young people can thrive emotionally, socially, and educationally.
In 2025, Progress Lives became part of HLTH Care, a growing specialist care provider with deep roots in health and social care compliance and quality. This partnership has strengthened Progress Lives’s capacity to deliver outstanding, person-centred support, backed by HLTH Care’s expertise in governance, clinical excellence, and innovative care models.
New benefits from joining the HLTH Care family.
Joining the HLTH Care family means Progress Lives benefits from shared knowledge, resources, and a multidisciplinary team committed to empowering children and young people to build confidence, resilience, and a positive sense of identity.
Progress Lives’s dedicated teams work closely with families, schools, and health professionals to ensure each young person receives tailored care that supports their emotional and behavioural needs. Our approach is grounded in therapeutic principles and aims to create a secure, home-like environment where children feel valued and safe to explore new experiences.
Meet the team.
At Progress Lives, our team is at the heart of everything we do. We collaborate closely to ensure every young person feels supported, understood and inspired to reach their full potential. Meet our team below.
Jon Milne
Head of Care
Jon Milne is the Head of Care at Progress Lives, overseeing the delivery of care quality and governance processes to ensure compliance and provide assurance to all relevant stakeholders. He plays a key role in maintaining and improving the organisation’s adherence to regulatory frameworks, driving continuous improvements and ensuring the highest standards of care.
In his day-to-day role, Jon implements new systems and processes in line with evolving local and national developments, striving to keep the service at the forefront of best practice in adult social care. He is also responsible for business development and growth, identifying opportunities for new services that allow individuals to remain within their local communities, prevent crises, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
With an extensive background in learning disabilities and autism transformation, Jon has worked across various settings, including supported living and NHS service improvement, bringing a wealth of experience to his leadership role at Progress Lives.
Steve Summerfield
Responsible Individual
Steve is the Responsible Individual for Progress Lives, providing overall leadership and strategic oversight to ensure strong governance, regulatory compliance, and best practice across the organisation. His focus is on ensuring that Progress Lives delivers high-quality provision that supports children’s educational, social, and emotional development and achieves positive, sustainable outcomes.
With over 20 years’ experience in mainstream and specialist education, Steve has held senior leadership roles in behaviour management, safeguarding, and curriculum development, contributing to Outstanding Ofsted outcomes. He brings this experience into his Responsible Individual role by setting clear expectations, providing professional challenge, and ensuring robust systems and standards are embedded throughout the service.
Steve champions an integrated approach that aligns education, therapeutic input, and social development, enabling Progress Lives to build personalised pathways that promote confidence, resilience, and a strong sense of identity, and support young people toward positive futures beyond care.
Kevin Wilson
Registered Manager
Kevin brings over 15 years of experience in residential care and leadership across services for young people aged 8-18 with complex needs and now applies this experience in his role as Registered Manager within the organisation. He has a proven track record in service development, quality improvement, and delivering high standards of care that promote safety, stability, and positive outcomes for children and young people.
As Registered Manager, Kevin provides clear operational leadership and oversight, ensuring regulatory compliance, strong safeguarding practice, and a consistent focus on quality. He draws on his extensive background to lead teams through cultural change, inspection readiness, and continuous improvement, supporting services to meet and exceed Ofsted standards.
With experience across secure, step-down, and specialist care settings, Kevin has worked with some of the most vulnerable young people affected by complex behavioural, emotional, and social challenges. His commitment to safeguarding, strong leadership, and regulatory excellence underpins his role in ensuring the service delivers consistent, high-quality care.
Sam Meadows
HR Director
Sam is the HR Director, playing a pivotal role in driving workforce planning, recruitment, and retention strategies to ensure a skilled and motivated team. She works closely with the leadership team to create and sustain a positive, values-driven workplace culture, with a strong focus on staff engagement, wellbeing, and diversity.
With over 15 years of experience in HR, particularly in not-for-profit and health and social care sectors, Sam brings a strategic approach to building and sustaining engaged teams. She is passionate about ensuring the workforce is equipped to deliver compassionate, high-quality care to children and families.
Mae Luya
Finance Director
Mae is the Finance Director, responsible for shaping financial strategy and overseeing the organisation’s financial health. She leads on budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting to support operational delivery and long-term sustainability. Mae ensures that financial resources are aligned with regulatory standards and service needs, enabling the team to deliver exceptional care.
Mae brings a wealth of experience in financial management across both public and private sectors. Her strategic oversight ensures that Progress Lives remains financially robust, compliant, and well-resourced to support children and families effectively.
Our Vision and Mission.
Our vision is to be a beacon of hope and stability for children and young people who have faced trauma, loss or instability, ensuring every child feels safe, understood and supported to build a fulfilling life.
Vision
We aim to be a beacon of hope and stability for children and young people who have experienced trauma, loss, or instability. Our vision is a future where every child in care feels safe, understood, and equipped to build a positive, fulfilling life.
Mission
Our mission is to provide a therapeutic, safe, and nurturing environment where children and young people aged 8–17 years with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD) and Learning Disabilities (LD) can thrive. We are dedicated to delivering care that is evidence-based, relationship-focused, and personalised to the needs of each young person.
Our Values.
Compassion: We approach every child with kindness, empathy, and a genuine desire to understand their experiences and feelings.
Respect: We value each young person’s individuality and ensure their voices are heard and honoured.
Safety: We maintain a secure and structured environment, prioritising physical and emotional wellbeing.
Integrity: We act with honesty, transparency, and accountability in all we do.
Collaboration: We build strong partnerships with families, schools, psychologists, and other professionals to deliver holistic support.
Excellence: We commit to continuous learning and reflective practice, always striving to improve our care standards.
Our Therapeutic Approach.
At Progress Lives, we provide a nurturing and structured environment where children feel safe, supported, and valued. Our approach is centred around consistent, caring relationships and everyday routines that promote emotional wellbeing, resilience, and practical life skills.
We aim to create a homely atmosphere where children can grow in confidence and develop the tools they need for a positive future.
Why choose Progress Lives?
Tailored Care Plans: Every child receives personalised support designed around their strengths, challenges, and goals.
Experienced Team: Our staff combine expertise in social care, therapeutic practice, education, and safeguarding.
Holistic Support: We address emotional, educational, social, and physical wellbeing to promote whole-person growth.
Focus on Stability: We offer consistent routines and strong relationships to help young people rebuild trust and security.
Commitment to Partnership: We work closely with families, placing authorities, and external professionals to ensure seamless, coordinated care.
Discover the latest from Progress Lives.
Discover the latest from Progress Lives in one place: expert insights, inspiring success stories from our home-like environments and up-to-the-minute news on events, initiatives and team achievements.
Learn about how we empower young people every day—View all here.