Safe & Nurturing
Safety is the foundation everything else is built on. We provide a calm, predictable home where young people are protected, respected and cared for — and where they know the adults around them can be relied upon.
About Us
A home built on the belief that every young person deserves to belong.
May Meadows was created around one simple idea: that where a young person lives — and how they're cared for — can change the course of their life.
Our Story
Why May Meadows exists
May Meadows was created with a clear purpose: to offer young people who cannot live with their own families a place that genuinely feels like home.
We know the difference a calm, stable, nurturing household can make — where the same trusted adults are there each day, where achievements are celebrated and where young people are properly listened to. May Meadows grew from that vision: a home where safety, warmth and belonging come before everything else.
Our purpose is reflected in four values: creating safety and nurture, building trusting relationships, seeing each child as an individual and helping them grow towards a positive future. These values guide both everyday care and the decisions we make about the home.
Our purpose
“To provide young people with a safe, stable and nurturing home in which they feel valued, heard and supported to reach their potential.”
Our Values
What we believe, and how we live it
Our values are not posters on a wall — they describe the everyday experience we want every young person at May Meadows to have.
Relationships Matter
Trust takes time. Our team offers patience, reliability and genuine warmth, building relationships at each young person's pace and staying consistent — especially when things are difficult.
Individual to Every Child
We start with the young person, not a programme. Support is shaped around each child's needs, identity, culture, strengths and hopes — and reviewed together with them as they grow.
Growing for the Future
We look beyond today. From education and life skills to confidence and aspirations, we help each young person prepare for a future they can feel genuinely positive about.
Our People
Meet the people behind May Meadows
A children's home is shaped by the people within it. Our leadership team brings together experience in residential childcare, safeguarding, care leadership and supporting young people with individual needs.
Megan Leonard
Director
Megan Leonard is an experienced childcare and operations professional with a background in early years, children's support and business operations. She began her career working directly with children before progressing into nursery management, where she led teams and oversaw recruitment, training, safeguarding, compliance and the day-to-day management of a regulated childcare setting. Megan has supported children with Special Educational Needs and worked as a Designated Safeguarding Lead. She has also worked alongside Wakefield Council, supporting Independent Reviewing Officers and working closely with social workers and other professionals involved in children's care.
Experience & qualifications
Megan holds NVQ Level 3 and Level 2 qualifications in Early Years Childcare, alongside training in safeguarding, first aid and health and safety. She brings experience in team leadership, recruitment, operational management, compliance, stakeholder relationships, Ofsted processes and the development and implementation of policies and procedures.
What matters to me
I want every child to feel loved and valued, not only for who they are, but for who they have the potential to become. I want to provide the support, nurture and stability they need to reach their full potential and give them the best possible opportunity to achieve their dreams and goals.
Steven Leonard
Director
Steven Leonard brings over 30 years of experience in business leadership and the children's care sector. During his career, he has been involved in running multiple children's care services and building successful businesses, giving him extensive experience in the operational, financial and strategic management of care services. His experience provides May Meadows with strong leadership and a focus on ensuring the organisation is well managed, sustainable and able to maintain high standards of care.
Experience & qualifications
Steven brings over three decades of experience across children's care and business leadership, including managing care services, financial oversight, business development, organisational structure and working with Ofsted and regulatory requirements.
What matters to me
My mission is to leave a legacy through May Meadows not simply by building a successful organisation, but by creating a lasting impact on the lives of children in care. Every child deserves a space where they can be heard, protected and valued, and where they can experience the sense of safety, belonging and home that every child deserves. I want May Meadows to be remembered for the positive difference it made to the children who came through its doors.
Jude Onorihewe
Responsible Individual
Jude Onorihewe is an experienced health and social care leader with a background in operational management, registered services and supporting people with complex needs. He has held senior leadership and management roles across care services, with experience in safeguarding, quality assurance, positive behaviour support, staff development, risk management, care planning and regulatory compliance. As Responsible Individual, Jude provides strategic oversight and challenge to the Registered Manager, helping to ensure that May Meadows remains focused on safeguarding, high-quality care and positive outcomes for young people.
Experience & qualifications
Jude holds a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People's Services, alongside a BSc in Mathematics, and is undertaking further Level 5 study in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. He also has training and experience in Positive Behaviour Support and MAPA, together with experience in service management, staff supervision, quality assurance, auditing, safeguarding and regulatory compliance.
What matters to me
I want May Meadows to be a place where good care is visible in everyday life, not simply written in policies and procedures. What matters to me is that young people feel safe, listened to and genuinely valued, and that the adults around them provide the consistency, encouragement and positive relationships they need to build confidence and look towards their future with hope.
Sobechukwu Samuel Nweke
Registered Manager
Sobechukwu Samuel Nweke is an experienced residential childcare professional with over three years' experience supporting vulnerable children and young people. He has progressed into senior and deputy management roles within children's residential care, with experience in safeguarding, care planning, behaviour management, staff supervision and working alongside families and other professionals.
Experience & qualifications
Samuel holds an NVQ Level 5 in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care, an NVQ Level 3 in Children's Residential Care, an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care and a Care Certificate. His experience includes developing care plans, supporting young people with complex needs, safeguarding, managing challenging behaviour and leading and supporting staff teams.
What matters to me
For me, it is about creating a stable and nurturing environment where every young person feels heard, valued and supported. I believe that consistency, trust and positive relationships are essential in helping children build confidence, recognise their strengths and work towards reaching their potential.
Our Residential Care Team
The people who make May Meadows feel like home every day.
Senior Residential Support Workers
Provide experienced day-to-day leadership, supporting colleagues, overseeing shifts and helping ensure care is safe, consistent and thoughtful.
- Leading shifts
- Supporting the team
- Keeping care consistent
Residential Support Workers
Spend time alongside young people in everyday life, sharing meals, supporting education and activities, listening and encouraging, and being present through ordinary and difficult moments.
- Building relationships
- Everyday support
- Creating positive experiences
Our Culture
How we work, every single day
The culture of a children's home is felt in a thousand small moments. These are the commitments that shape ours.
Consistency
Young people experience the same reliable adults, routines and responses — because trust grows where life is predictable.
Safeguarding & accountability
Keeping children safe runs through every decision, every routine and every member of the team.
Reflective practice
We regularly pause to think about how things are going — what we're doing well and what we could do better for each young person.
Learning & development
We invest in our team's growth, because skilled, supported adults provide the best care.
Start a conversation with May Meadows.
Whether you are looking for the right home for a young person, interested in joining our team, or simply have a question, we would be glad to hear from you.