Children’s homes to be replaced in council shake-up

A MAJOR reorganisation of children’s homes in Bradford has been approved by council bosses.

Some homes, described as “institutions” rather than welcoming places for children in care, will close, and the focus will now be on smaller homes.

The changes follow a damning Ofsted report last year that said some children in care were exposed to harm due to their placement in some homes.

Among the changes proposed by Bradford Council are the closure of the Valley View and Meadowlea sites, which will be replaced by two three-bed specialist residential homes for children aged eight to 11.

Proposals to build a new, large children’s home on Fell Lane will be scrapped due to “the scale and nature of the proposed project no longer being consistent with the service’s strategic needs.”

Other changes proposed include a potential new-build project “aimed at increasing short-term break capacity for disabled children and in particular those with complex needs associated with neuro-diversity developmental issues” and that the council develop smaller group homes.

The plans were approved at a meeting of Bradford Council’s Executive. A report to the Executive said the plans will enable the Council “to run our current homes with lower bed numbers, making them homelier; improving matching considerations, increasing placement stability”.

Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative group in Bradford, said: “The move to more family-centred children’s homes is very welcome.”

Councillor Kyle Green (Cons, Ilkley) said: “We’ve needed to see improvements in these homes, and the recent Ofsted report highlighted the challenges.”