Aspire House in Maidenhead gives up to 20 care leavers aged over 18 a flat of their own, with staff on site. Young people in care chose its name and helped pick staff.

A new home for young people leaving care has opened in Maidenhead. Aspire House has room for up to 20 care leavers aged over 18, each in a flat of their own, with staff on site.

The Royal Borough announced the opening on 4 November (council news release). It means more young people can stay near their families, jobs and colleges instead of being placed outside the borough.

Young people in care helped to set it up. The council’s forum for children in care, Kickback, and its Care Leavers Forum had a say in:

  • the name, Aspire House
  • the recruitment of staff
  • the interior design

Who it is for

Aspire House is “step-down” housing. It sits between full-time supported care and a tenancy of your own. Residents are chosen on need and on how ready they are to live independently, the council says. Staff help them learn things like managing money and looking after a home, until they move on to social housing.

It is run by Achieving for Children, the company that provides the borough’s children’s services.

The Cabinet approved the scheme on 30 June. Its report to Cabinet explains the need:

  • 41 young people aged 18 or over were living in semi-independent housing
  • more than 60% of them were in work, training or education
  • 23 were judged suitable for this kind of home

The building has 22 units. Twenty are for residents. The other two are a staff office and communal space. The council is leasing the property, on a six-year lease, rather than buying it.

Why the council says it saves money

Most of those young people were in placements bought from outside providers. The report says these cost an average of £986 to £1,058 a week per room. The new model costs about £730 to £967.

The report estimated:

  • a one-off set-up cost of £105,600, mostly to furnish and equip the flats
  • a first-year running budget of £721,700
  • savings of £224,300 to £266,300 in the first year once it is running

The council’s November announcement puts the investment at £1.19 million. It does not break that figure down, and it is not one of the figures in the June report.

The report also looked at using the building for 16 and 17-year-olds. It rejected that. The flats are self-contained rather than shared, which it said would be unlikely to meet Ofsted’s standards for a children’s home, and staffing would have cost more.

Councillor Amy Tisi, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Windsor, said: “Every young person deserves to have the best life possible, and this can only happen through support during those early years of adulthood as they begin to navigate the wider world on their own.”

Part of a wider shift

Aspire House follows Oak House, the borough’s first council-run children’s home, which opened in Windsor in autumn 2025. Oak House looks after children under 18.

The council is under heavy financial pressure and runs on Exceptional Financial Support from the government, as we have reported. Placements for children in care are one of the costs it is trying to bring down.

What it means for you

  • If you are a care leaver in the borough, or support one, ask your personal adviser at Achieving for Children whether Aspire House could be your next step. The council says places are given on need and readiness.
  • The council has not published the address. That is normal for housing of this kind, and we have not printed it either.

Sources