New children's home plans progress in Rotherham

Plans for a new children's home in Rotherham have taken a step closer, after councillors backed a report to progress the scheme.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Members of Rotherham Council’s cabinet approved plans in February to create a range of in-house residential homes, including emergency accommodation, for looked-after children.

The small, family-orientated homes will be staffed by trained professionals and aim to maintain a good or outstanding Ofsted rating.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Two buildings are operationally ready for registration with the education watchdog, including the required planning approval.

Rotherham CouncilRotherham Council
Rotherham Council

Registration of one home will be submitted, and the second is ready and will be submitted when a registered manager is in place next month.

Read More
'Unfair to compare US and UK' on race issues says top South Yorkshire police off...

At a meeting of the cabinet, approval was given to acquire three properties and to begin to recruit staff to run the homes, which are scheduled to open by autumn.

Once the council has applied for the homes to be registered with Ofsted, permission will be sought from cabinet to provide an update on the financial implications of the homes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A report to the cabinet states: “Rotherham does not have any in-house residential provision, so when a child requires a residential placement this is provided with an external provider. These placements are high cost and predominantly out of borough.”

The first home, which has five beds including one emergency bed, will employ 12 members of staff, including a manager.

A further two homes, each with two beds and an emergency bed, are on track to open by March 2021.

Phase three of the plan will involve the acquisition, registration and operation of two further four-bed residential homes.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.