Children's home planned for youngsters with behaviour problems
PLANS have been submitted which could see a house in Great Houghton extended and converted into a care home for children with emotional and behavioural problems.
The proposals need planning permission, both for the building work and change of use, with details now submitted to Barnsley Council.
Under the application, the detached house, in Manor Fields, would be used to accommodate two children and between two and three staff members to care for them.
Changes to the building would involve the construction of a two storey side extension, with another to the front.
Planning permission for that work was granted around four years ago, and the current application is a duplication of those structural changes.
Documents submitted with the application describe the proposed care home as “high quality”, with the application falling in line with planning policies.
The application is designed to help answer “the clear and evidenced need for additional children’s residential care provision within Barnsley, South Yorkshire and the wider Yorkshire and Humber region”, planners have been told.
It would cater for residents in the eight to 18 age-bracket, with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
The application states: “Local authorities face persistent difficulties in securing suitable residential placements, particularly for children with complex emotional and behavioural needs.
“There are continued shortfalls in residential provision across Yorkshire and the Humber, resulting in children being placed at significant distances.
“Barnsley experiences difficulty sourcing local placements and (has) increasing reliance on out-of-area provision.”
When that happens, it affects children’s family contact, support and education.
The property is in a corner plot, which, the application states provides increased separation from neighbours, reduced risk of noise and additional parking space.
The home would be operated by an experienced former social worker, with a member of staff allocated to each child at all time, with a 12 hour shift pattern.
Children living there would be supported by staff to “engage positively with the community, follow appropriate routines and boundaries, maintain respectful behaviour towards neighbours”, according to the application.
Staff at the home would be trained in de-escalation techniques, with help available from external professionals, where necessary, allowing the home to “integrate into the local area without adverse effect”, the documents state.
A decision will be made later.