Tom Ellison - Director

Tom Ellison has over thirty years’ experience of children’s residential care and, in particular, the specialist residential care of Young people suffering with poor mental health.

Initially working directly with young people in the third sector, Tom became the director of a specialist provider for young people who had experienced severe sexual abuse in 2004. Subsequently, Tom occupied senior, board level, positions with a number of specialist providers of children’s residential care.

In that time, Tom developed a reputation for improving failing services and bringing specialist therapeutic approaches to formally generic children’s services providers.

Between 2014 and 2022, Tom played a prominent role in the leadership of Young Foundations, a national organisation delivering residential care, education and clinical support for young people leaving Tier 4 CAMHS care.

In that period, Young Foundations doubled in size and in 2018 received the prestigious Laing Buisson Award for Innovation in recognition of the company’s pioneering hybrid clinical/social care model.

Young Foundations went on to win the Laing Buisson Children’s Services Award in 2020 for excellence in children’s residential care.

In late 2022, and after eight and a half years’ service, Tom left Young Foundations to found Ellison Lynd Consulting, with a view to working with local authorities, the third sector and independent providers to improve outcomes for children in residential care.

Tom holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Psychology and post-graduate qualifications in both Management Studies and Strategic Management