Our Founder Janet Lumb Awarded OBE for Services to Vulnerable Children

JANET LUMB FOUNDER & CEO OF TIMEOUT HOMES

Janet Lumb, founder and CEO of Timeout Homes, has been awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours for her services to vulnerable children. Since founding Timeout Homes in 2004 with a single home, she has grown the family-run organisation into 20 homes, three SEMH schools, and a thriving clinical service across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and West Yorkshire.

We are incredibly proud to share some wonderful news. Our founder and CEO, Janet Lumb, has been awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours for her services to vulnerable children.

It's a recognition that means the world to everyone at Timeout Homes. For more than two decades, Janet has dedicated herself to giving children with complex needs the care, education, and opportunities they deserve. To see that commitment honoured at the highest level is a moment of enormous pride for our whole family.

This blog celebrates Janet's remarkable journey—from opening a single home in 2004 to building one of the region's most respected therapeutic care providers—and the values that have guided her every step of the way.

How Janet Lumb founded Timeout Homes

Every great organisation starts with a simple idea. For Janet, it was the belief that even one child's life could be transformed with the right care.

In 2004, she opened the very first Timeout home with the aim of helping at least one child. There were no grand plans for expansion at the time—just a clear vision to make a real difference to children with the most complex needs. That meant offering something many providers couldn't: dedicated, one-to-one care that put each child's individual development first.

Janet has always understood that an organisation can never replace a true parent. But it can, as she puts it, apply the values and principles of good parenting. That philosophy has shaped Timeout from the very beginning, keeping the small, daily actions that matter most to young people at the heart of everything we do.

A legacy of high standards and clinically led care

What sets Timeout Homes apart is Janet's refusal to settle for "good enough" when it comes to vulnerable children.

Two principles have driven her work above all others. The first is a deep commitment to education. Children in care are far more likely to fall out of education, employment, or training—often labelled NEET—than their peers. Janet set out to change that story, ensuring that every child in our care has a genuine path to learning and progression. Education isn't an afterthought at Timeout; it's a promise.

The second is her belief in clinically led practice. Children with complex needs require more than a safe place to live. They need therapeutic support that addresses trauma, builds emotional resilience, and helps them thrive. By weaving clinical expertise into the fabric of our care, Janet has helped countless young people develop the skills they need to move forward in life.

As Janet has often said, our strength lies in helping children who need one-to-one staffing levels, equipping them with the skills to progress. That clarity of purpose has become the standard everyone at Timeout strives to meet.

How Timeout Homes grew from one home to a regional service

From those humble beginnings in 2004, Timeout Homes has grown in ways that would have been hard to imagine at the start.

Today, the organisation runs 20 homes, three specialist schools for children with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs, and a thriving clinical service. Our work now spans three regions: Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and West Yorkshire.

That growth has never been about numbers for their own sake. Each new home, school, and service has meant another child—and often many more—receiving the care and support they need. We've remained a family-run organisation throughout, carefully protecting the culture of warmth and high standards that Janet built from day one.

The expansion is a testament to what's possible when vision meets unwavering dedication. One child became one home. One home became a network of care reaching across the North of England.

Why this OBE belongs to the whole Timeout family

While this honour rightly recognises Janet's leadership, she would be the first to say it belongs to everyone at Timeout Homes.

Caring for vulnerable children is challenging, demanding work. It's also some of the most rewarding work there is. Every day, our carers, teachers, clinicians, and support teams show up for young people who need them most. They celebrate the small wins, hold steady through the hard moments, and never lose sight of each child's potential.

This OBE is a reflection of all of them. It honours every person who has ever shared Janet's belief that vulnerable children deserve the very best. To everyone who has been part of the Timeout journey: thank you. This recognition is yours too.

Congratulations, Janet

From all of us at Timeout Homes, congratulations, Janet. This honour is richly deserved.

For more than twenty years, you have changed the lives of children who needed someone to believe in them. You built something extraordinary from a single home and a simple, powerful idea—that every child matters. Seeing your work recognised in the King's Birthday Honours fills us with pride and gratitude.

Here's to you, and to all the young people whose futures are brighter because of the care you set out to provide.