Feel safe
A homely setting, thoughtful routines and adults who take time to know the child behind the referral.
A family-led care project · Chester
A place to feel at home. A branch to grow beneath.
Dawson Branch is being created for children who need more than a place to stay: a warm home, steady relationships and people who believe in their future.
Meet the family behind it
Why Dawson Branch
Care begins with belonging.
Our name comes from a simple picture: a tree whose roots give it strength, whose branches offer shelter, and beneath which every child has room to grow in their own way.
“The care we hope to build is rooted in our family’s experience, and in the kind of home we would want for our own children.”
Our story
Generations of care and learning.
Sam Dawson’s mother spent more than 30 years working in specialist adult care, beginning at 16. His father worked in the mines before moving into children’s social work and care homes. Kimberley Dawson taught in Chester and later in the UAE. Sam and Kimberley are parents of two children.
Those experiences have shaped a shared belief: children deserve to be seen as individuals, listened to with patience and supported by consistent, caring adults. We are bringing that belief to a small, family-led residential care project in Chester.
Our approach
Small homes. Strong relationships. Every child’s own path.
We are developing a specialist residential care service for children with autism, learning disabilities and related needs. The care model and the homes’ registration are being developed with experienced professionals and relevant authorities.
Feel heard
Care shaped around each child’s communication, interests, relationships and individual plan.
Find joy
Space for everyday experiences, creativity, friendships and the small moments that make a home feel like home.
Learning and development
Hope also means helping a child discover what they can do.
Kimberley’s experience as a teacher brings an education-minded voice to the family behind Dawson Branch. We want learning to sit naturally alongside care: supporting school relationships, everyday curiosity, creative interests and each child’s progress.
Where a child needs specialist tuition, therapies or other additional provision, we would work with their placing authority, education and health partners to agree support around their assessed needs.
Any tutoring or specialist programme would be individually agreed and delivered within the appropriate education and safeguarding arrangements.
Start a conversation
Let’s grow this carefully, together.
We welcome conversations with experienced care professionals, commissioners and families interested in the vision for Dawson Branch. Our Chester service is in development and is not yet registered to accept placements.
To enquire, please contact Sam Dawson directly through your existing correspondence.