What we can achieve by working together

When Sean applied to work at Progress’ children’s residential service in Coventry, Henley Lodge, he wasn’t chasing a lifelong ambition to work in care. He was looking for something simpler, and harder to find — a job that felt meaningful, supportive, and worth the emotional energy it asked of him. Just a few months in, he says he’s found...

On a Wednesday afternoon, Progress Fostering Live returned for its fourth edition with a conversation that was never meant to feel like a presentation. Hosted by Kirsty, Relationship Manager at Progress, the session invited viewers into an honest, open discussion about fostering, lived experience, and what it really takes to support young people with complex...

Progress brought its foster carers, residential teams, senior leaders, and corporate staff together this year for its Annual Foster Carers’ Conference and Awards, a day that combined celebration with honest reflection on the realities of fostering today.  Held as a space to connect, learn, and recognise outstanding commitment, the conference also created room for open...

When Tom first met the young person he would be fostering, it was over hot chocolate at a local café. the young person, aged 9, had spent most of his childhood in residential care after several placement breakdowns. But this meeting felt different, it was calm, unhurried, and full of possibility. Over the next few...

“You are similar age as my son, but I don’t think my son can do what you are doing, you are a young and hardworking person.”  In the care sector where outcomes are usually measured in care plans and progress reports, there exists an unseen architecture. It is built of small, human moments—the shared silence over a cup of tea after a...

When Dawn and Amanda talk about Spring Meadows, they keep coming back to one idea. This is not a place where life pauses. It is a place designed to help young people move forward. Spring Meadows is the newest short breaks service from Progress, and for its deputy manager and registered manager, it represents a...

Sometimes, the simplest things make the biggest difference.  Today and for the rest of the week, colleagues across Progress are marking Brew Monday by doing just that, pausing, putting the kettle on, and taking a few minutes to connect. From homes and services to head office and virtual Teams rooms, mugs were raised, biscuits were...

Progress is set to open Spring Meadow, a purpose-built service created to support young people and adults who need stability, space and meaningful opportunities to grow.  Spring Meadow represents the next chapter in Progress’ short breaks and adult services. After years of growing demand at Stourbridge House, where the organisation now supports more than 50...

In this end-of-year reflection, Bal Dhanoa MBE, Founder and CEO of Progress, shares what 2025 taught us and how it has shaped the year ahead. As I reflect on 2025, I do so with openness, pride and a deep sense of responsibility to the people who make Progress what it is. It has been a...

When Tadi joined Progress in April 2024, his induction photo captured a bright, easy smile. Months on, that same warmth still greets colleagues and families alike—but it is now paired with a growing confidence and a clear sense of purpose shaped by a year of change, learning, and steady progress. By 2025, Tadi describes the...