For Investors Ready to Do This Properly

Secure and Structure your First Compliant, Long-Lease Children’s Home investment within 12 months

A private mastermind for 20 investors who want to create sustainable, compliant portfolios in one of the UK’s most important, and often misunderstood, property sectors.

Ethical Investing. Meaningful Impact. Commercial Discipline.

The children’s residential care sector is one of the most commercially secure areas in UK property.

20+ year leases. Sustained demand. Institutional-grade structures.

But most investors don’t know how to enter it properly, and the ones who get it wrong don’t just lose money. They put children at risk.

This mastermind exists to make sure you’re not one of them.

You already know you want
to invest.

That decision is made.

You have capital. You understand returns. You want to invest in bricks and mortar.

But lately, something’s been nagging at you.

You look at your portfolio — the buy-to-lets, the HMOs, the developments, — and you think: Is this it?

The margins are tightening. The legislation is shifting. And honestly? You want your money to actually mean something.

You’ve heard about children’s homes investing. Maybe you’ve seen the numbers — 20+ year leases, sustained demand, recession-resistant income. Commercially, it’s one of the strongest propositions in UK property right now.

You know that investors taking action are getting in at ground level, securing long-term regulated leases with credible care providers, before competition inevitably rises and returns compress.

But here’s what’s keeping you up at night:

You don’t know how to do it properly.

And in this sector, “properly” isn’t optional. It’s everything. Get the compliance wrong and you’re not just losing money — you’re putting vulnerable children in harm’s way. And no return on earth is worth that.

That’s exactly why this mastermind exists.

You already know you want to invest.

That decision is made.

You have capital. You understand returns. You want to invest in property but you want to do it with purpose

Investors who understand the sector are already securing long-term leases with credible care providers, establishing positions early before competition increases.

But here’s what’s keeping you awake at night:

You don’t just care about returns, you care about doing it properly.

And in this sector, ‘properly’ isn’t optional. Weak compliance or poor structure doesn’t just create financial risk, it carries real consequences for vulnerable children. And no return is worth that.

That’s exactly why this mastermind exists.

Why This Mastermind Was Created

Children’s residential care is under extreme pressure. In 2025, Ofsted opened nearly 900 investigations into suspected illegal children’s homes. The need for high-quality, specialist homes is clear. Responsible capital can be part of the solution. The commercial case is strong. But only when it’s built on solid structure, serious compliance and the right partnerships

At 15, Louis Stedman-Bryce entered the care system and was placed in what would now be classified as an illegal children’s home. 35 years later, children are still being placed in similar unregulated settings across England. Louis founded Inkfish Group as the vehicle to deliver innovative housing and care models in the sector. He understands how regulation in this space is written, how it's enforced, and where investors most commonly come unstuck.

When Carly Houston got into property investing, she did so with a question most investors never ask: “Can we build strong commercial returns AND help people at the same time?” That question has shaped everything she has done in property, and it sits at the heart of this mastermind.

Together Louis & Carly bring something genuinely rare to this sector. Lived experience and regulation expertise alongside values-led portfolio building with a shared belief that doing it properly and doing it profitably are not mutually exclusive.

That’s why they built this.

A structured, 12-month mastermind for investors who want to enter this sector responsibly, with clarity, high standards, and a long-term vision.

Because strong commercial performance and meaningful social impact can sit alongside each other, when the foundations are right.

What You’ll Achieve

Over 12 months, you’ll move through a structured framework designed to take you from interest to disciplined execution, without guesswork and without compromising standards or risking your reputation.

Execution readiness in the first 12 weeks.

Within three months, you’ll have the knowledge, strategy and structure required to make a confident Go/No-Go decision on your first children’s home investment.

This is not theory. It’s practical readiness.

The Five Principles Framework

Every investment decision runs through the same operating system:

1. Care Comes First

Children’s welfare sets the standard, everything else follows

2. Demand & Due Diligence

Verify the need. Validate the area.

3. Financial Viability

Confirm the numbers work. Rents, yields, and long-term viability checked properly before anything moves.

4. Regulation & Compliance

Understand the regulatory landscape fully, including what Ofsted requires and how planning intersects with care.

5. Legal & Lease Structuring

20+ year structures designed to be stable, enforceable and resilient.

This framework will provide you with a clear step by step approach which has been developed and refined over almost half a decade.

You’ll know when the foundations are strong enough to move forward.

And crucially, when they’re not.

Who’s Leading This

This mastermind is led by two practitioners operating on both sides of the system, bringing direct experience and operational accountability.

Louis Stedman-Bryce

Care System · Regulation · Investment

Louis Stedman-Bryce has over fifteen years’ experience in property investment and has spent more than half a decade structuring fully compliant children’s home investments across England for both private and institutional capital. His background spans investment, deal structuring and public policy, including senior policy experience as a former Member of the European Parliament.

Through his work with Inkfish Group, he is developing regulated housing and specialist care models in partnership with local authorities while engaging at a political level with members of the House of Lords and MPs to challenge the continued reliance on unlawful provision and advocate for structural reform in the sector. This work combines investment experience with deep sector expertise, helping to protect vulnerable children while ensuring investors avoid costly structural mistakes.

Carly Houston

Investment · Supported Housing · Impact

When Carly Houston and her sister got into property investing, she wanted two things: to build financial security, and to do it in a way she could be proud of. She and her sister went into socially impactful property when very few investors were doing this, creating quality housing that genuinely helped people, while building a portfolio that performed. It wasn’t charity. It was smart investing with a conscience.

Carly has spent over 15 years building a property portfolio carefully, values-led, and with an eye on sustainability rather than just yield. She is an award-winning investor and coach whose experience in supported housing and specialist accommodation means she understands the nuances of this sector in a way that purely residential investors don’t.

Her judgement is what sets her apart. Calm, clear thinking in high-stakes situations, helping investors make decisions they’ll still feel good about years later.

Why This Partnership Works

Louis understands the care system from the inside, the regulation, the safeguarding, the operational reality. Carly understands capital, risk, sustainable portfolio building, and long-term strategy.

Together, their experience spans the full journey: from Ofsted compliance to commercial structuring, from care provider relationships to long-term lease viability.

You won’t find this combination of lived experience, sector knowledge, and investment discipline anywhere else in the UK.

This Isn’t Like Anything Else in UK Property

Most property training is built for scale, follow a formula, move quickly, repeat.

This mastermind is different.

Values-led, not volume-led. Carefully selected cohort. Limited to 20 places.

Quality-driven, not yield-driven. We focus on the sustainability of your investment as much as the return.

Regulation-aware, not regulation-avoidant. You’ll understand the system, not try to work around it.

Built for investors, not operators. You won’t become a care provider. You’ll become an intelligent, compliant investor in the sector.

This Isn’t Like Anything Else in UK Property

Most property training is built on volume. Get as many people in as possible, teach them a formula, send them out.

This is the opposite.

Values-led, not volume-led. 20 places per cohort. That’s it.

Quality-driven, not yield-driven. We care about the sustainability of your investment as much as the return.

Regulation-aware, not regulation-avoidant. You’ll understand the system — not try to work around it.

Built for investors, not operators. You won’t become a care provider. You’ll become an intelligent, compliant investor in the sector.

Focused on capability, not hype. No screenshots of bank balances. No countdown timers. Just structured guidance from people who are actually doing this.

Ideal for SSAS investors. By transitioning residential property into regulated commercial use, this structure unlocks pension-backed investment into property assets — delivering long-term leased income within a compliant commercial framework.

Is This Right for You?

This is for investors who take the long view. Who understand that in a sector like this, the quality of your preparation determines the quality of your outcomes.

If you already own investment property, have available equity or capital ready to work, and you’re drawn to this sector not just for the returns but because what happens inside these homes matters to you, this programme was built for you.

You care about doing things properly, and you’re ready to be part of a small, committed group that holds itself to a higher standard.

If you have a SSAS pension and want to invest in property assets with secure commercial leases, delivering long-term returns within a compliant commercial framework.

This is NOT for you if

You’re focused on short-term gains or maximum yield above all else.
You’re not prepared to invest the time to understand regulation, compliance, and due diligence.
If you’re looking for speed over standards, this won’t be the right fit.
If you’re looking for structure, conviction, and the capability to invest in this sector properly, you’re in the right place.

What Makes This Different

This programme is values-led, not volume-led. Quality-driven, not yield-driven. Built for serious investors who want to do this properly, not those looking for shortcuts through a complex sector.

It’s not about chasing deals. It’s about building the judgement to recognise the right ones and the discipline to walk away from the wrong ones.

How Access Works

This isn’t a course you buy with a credit card.

Entry is by application and conversation only.
Each cohort is carefully selected and capped at 20 investors. We interview every single applicant — not to sell you anything, but to make sure this is genuinely the right fit for both sides.
Start dates are fixed. Cohorts don’t roll.
If we believe this isn’t right for you, we’ll tell you.

We’d rather have a smaller group of the right people than a full room of the wrong ones.

How to Apply

Each cohort is carefully selected and capped at 20 investors. Every applicant is interviewed to ensure this is genuinely the right fit for both sides.

Start dates are fixed. Cohorts don’t roll.

If we believe this isn’t right for you, we’ll tell you. Honestly and respectfully.

We prioritise alignment over numbers. A smaller group of the right people matters more to us than filling seats.

What to Expect on the Call

This is not a sales call. It’s a structured conversation where we’ll explore your current portfolio and investment position, understand your interest in children’s homes and what’s drawing you to this sector, assess whether this is the right fit for both of us, and outline what the programme involves and what we’ll expect from you.

If the timing isn’t right, or this genuinely isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you. No pressure. No hype. Just clarity.

Testimonials

Nick Mills

Louise

Book A Private Fit Call.

Your Next Step

This is a 15–20 minute conversation focused on understanding your position, your objectives, and whether this mastermind aligns with your situation.

Ethical Investing. Meaningful Impact. Commercial Discipline.

Children’s Homes Investor Mastermind — Part of Thrive Impact Investors Network