Living Next to a Children's Home?
Discussion
Does anyone have any experience of living next to a regular residential property that's been converted to a children's home?
The govt is pushing for homes in residential areas and almost all of the info I can find by Googling suggests they are an absolute nightmare and often destroy the character of an area.
An application has gone in for a property close to us which doesn't seem to fit many of the govt's guidelines such as proximity to shops, play areas, schools etc. It seems the kids being targeted for the site are those where current families 'cannot or will not' look after them.
Any experiences good or bad would be very interesting.
The govt is pushing for homes in residential areas and almost all of the info I can find by Googling suggests they are an absolute nightmare and often destroy the character of an area.
An application has gone in for a property close to us which doesn't seem to fit many of the govt's guidelines such as proximity to shops, play areas, schools etc. It seems the kids being targeted for the site are those where current families 'cannot or will not' look after them.
Any experiences good or bad would be very interesting.
Experience of a couple of Council run ones locally. (General repairs and Maintenance)
1 was an ex local village Police station, converted into a 6 bed 'home'. It was a rather depressing place, targeted by local youths regulary smashing windows etc. The inside was a mish mash of destroyed walls and furniture. We had to board a lot of the internal walls with thick marine ply to stop the kids who stayed there kicking through the walls.
1 was an ex janitors house on the edge of a primary school. either 4 or 6 bedrooms and just didn't seem homely. Again the local youths used to come round and smash the windows and have a riot outside. It was always very dark inside as the resident kids used to smash the internal light fittings, only to be replaced with horrid LED security lights in metal cages. Very prison like.
1 was a large Victorian house on a seafront. Semi detached with large south facing bedrooms. It would have been a nice house, but apparently they couldn't use the large bedrooms with some young kids as the bedrooms were too big and they weren't used to the space. I probably wouldn't have liked a single bed and chair in a room big enough to hold a king size bed, wardrobe and assorted furniture either. this one was quiet though compared to the other 2.I think it was more for ages 6-10.
There is one local to me about a mile away, home to several teenagers. there always is a skip outside and many push bikes sort of abandoned in the front garden
Overall experience is pretty grim as far as the accommodation goes. My experience with the staff was that it was a job to them, they weren't there to 'care' and regular police visits were the norm.
Makes me think how lucky my own kids are as some have it hard.
1 was an ex local village Police station, converted into a 6 bed 'home'. It was a rather depressing place, targeted by local youths regulary smashing windows etc. The inside was a mish mash of destroyed walls and furniture. We had to board a lot of the internal walls with thick marine ply to stop the kids who stayed there kicking through the walls.
1 was an ex janitors house on the edge of a primary school. either 4 or 6 bedrooms and just didn't seem homely. Again the local youths used to come round and smash the windows and have a riot outside. It was always very dark inside as the resident kids used to smash the internal light fittings, only to be replaced with horrid LED security lights in metal cages. Very prison like.
1 was a large Victorian house on a seafront. Semi detached with large south facing bedrooms. It would have been a nice house, but apparently they couldn't use the large bedrooms with some young kids as the bedrooms were too big and they weren't used to the space. I probably wouldn't have liked a single bed and chair in a room big enough to hold a king size bed, wardrobe and assorted furniture either. this one was quiet though compared to the other 2.I think it was more for ages 6-10.
There is one local to me about a mile away, home to several teenagers. there always is a skip outside and many push bikes sort of abandoned in the front garden
Overall experience is pretty grim as far as the accommodation goes. My experience with the staff was that it was a job to them, they weren't there to 'care' and regular police visits were the norm.
Makes me think how lucky my own kids are as some have it hard.
Dabbers said:
Does anyone have any experience of living next to a regular residential property that's been converted to a children's home?
The govt is pushing for homes in residential areas and almost all of the info I can find by Googling suggests they are an absolute nightmare and often destroy the character of an area.
An application has gone in for a property close to us which doesn't seem to fit many of the govt's guidelines such as proximity to shops, play areas, schools etc. It seems the kids being targeted for the site are those where current families 'cannot or will not' look after them.
Any experiences good or bad would be very interesting.
I don’t live next to one, but I run some.The govt is pushing for homes in residential areas and almost all of the info I can find by Googling suggests they are an absolute nightmare and often destroy the character of an area.
An application has gone in for a property close to us which doesn't seem to fit many of the govt's guidelines such as proximity to shops, play areas, schools etc. It seems the kids being targeted for the site are those where current families 'cannot or will not' look after them.
Any experiences good or bad would be very interesting.
My simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
From experience Police visits are very regular, expect daily on average, apart from anti social behaviour the staff will call Police as soon as a child fails to return back to the home by their allocated time, this is more prevalent than it used to be because of the risk of Child exploitation, the home need to cover themselves so report every instance to the Police.
UserNotKnown said:
I don’t live next to one, but I run some.
My simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
Tried emailing you but it says email not allowed. Can you check settings?My simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
Jamescrs said:
From experience Police visits are very regular, expect daily on average, apart from anti social behaviour the staff will call Police as soon as a child fails to return back to the home by their allocated time, this is more prevalent than it used to be because of the risk of Child exploitation, the home need to cover themselves so report every instance to the Police.
Daily on average?! 
These are again the horror stories. Whilst there is more responsibility to make contact with the Police, we see them very infrequently. Most issues are dealt with between the home and the social worker/emergency duty team.
We have individual risk assessments depending on varying factors; age, history, contacts etc. A missing person episode will trigger two visits - a check of the property before they’re acknowledged as missing and a welfare check on their return, but incidents are very rare in a settled home.
Dabbers said:
Tried emailing you but it says email not allowed. Can you check settings?
Emails now open.Not next door but just down the road, developers bought an old stable block that was converted into a girls home. We had the usual "there will be police everywhere every day" and "this place will be nothing but trouble". It's been running around 15 years now and we've only had two runaways go down my road just to be brought back five minutes later by staff.
UserNotKnown said:
I don’t live next to one, but I run some.
My simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
Best responseMy simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
I've been in 10 or so through work, really saddening for some one not with a background in Child care.
Yes it comes down to who runs the establishment and also the type of resident
Ussrcossack said:
UserNotKnown said:
I don’t live next to one, but I run some.
My simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
Best responseMy simple answer when asked previously if I’d like to live next to one, is it depends who’s running it.
As above experiences, you could live next to a home with no idea it’s not a ‘normal’ family home, or you could have one with poor leadership and it cause community issues - the same risks associated with anyone else moving in next door.
If you want to post up/dm me the application I’d give you an opinion as to whether I’d consider the location personally. There are many factors we consider when looking at housing.
You’ll only find the horror stories through the media, there’s hundreds of successful homes producing quality outcomes for society’s most vulnerable Young People out there going completely unrecognised.
I've been in 10 or so through work, really saddening for some one not with a background in Child care.
Yes it comes down to who runs the establishment and also the type of resident
Children in the care system have far worse life outcomes generally, and I feel so sorry that they get stuck with this just due to them being born to parents that can't/won't care.
Most will go through life not realising the luck (or "privilege" in the modern parlance) they have from being raised by two parents that do care. A lot of council tax goes into this area, but it's barely noticed.
It is interesting how this question about a children's care home has been framed as a negative thing from the outset.
It's probably like traveller sites - good on paper, but in practice no one wants them near them.
Ultimately. I think planning reasons will be most effective to prevent this change taking place, if it is not suitable.
Ian
Most will go through life not realising the luck (or "privilege" in the modern parlance) they have from being raised by two parents that do care. A lot of council tax goes into this area, but it's barely noticed.
It is interesting how this question about a children's care home has been framed as a negative thing from the outset.
It's probably like traveller sites - good on paper, but in practice no one wants them near them.
Ultimately. I think planning reasons will be most effective to prevent this change taking place, if it is not suitable.
Ian
My Son was a manager at a care home for children
all i can offer is see what else is available as far away as possible.
His inmates ( I use this word on purpose)
where as good as hardened criminals and they were around 12yo to 16yo
weapons including a real crossbow knives anything they could get hold of,
drinking smoking
nothing was off limits they made the houses nearby unsaleable to anyone in the area,
the children were products of terrible parents whom them dumped them or had them taken away.
The children were feral and needed a team to look after them and to try and prevent harm or fires.
all i can offer is see what else is available as far away as possible.
His inmates ( I use this word on purpose)
where as good as hardened criminals and they were around 12yo to 16yo
weapons including a real crossbow knives anything they could get hold of,
drinking smoking
nothing was off limits they made the houses nearby unsaleable to anyone in the area,
the children were products of terrible parents whom them dumped them or had them taken away.
The children were feral and needed a team to look after them and to try and prevent harm or fires.
My mother was school secretary in a residential school that specialised in kids with emotional and behavioural difficulties in the early 90's. Basically, the kids ranged from those who could not behave, to those who were evil.
There were many stories, including the hose through the neighbours letter box and the school bus where the upper floor seats had been thrown out the emergency escape window...
The group finally gave up after one kid died under suspicious circumstances on a school trip and changed to housing kids with autism. Still without challenges, it's now closed altogether.
FInd out what type of kids they are proposing to house basically!
There were many stories, including the hose through the neighbours letter box and the school bus where the upper floor seats had been thrown out the emergency escape window...
The group finally gave up after one kid died under suspicious circumstances on a school trip and changed to housing kids with autism. Still without challenges, it's now closed altogether.
FInd out what type of kids they are proposing to house basically!
I place children in these types of homes.
I would echo the point about who runs it, if you can find out the company and then google some of their OFSTED reports that will give you a good indication. If you want to message me I can offer you some advice on the company and the suitability of the location.
Some kids who can't live with their parents just can't settle in foster care, they see it as a replacement family and just don't like it. No behavioural issues, just normal kids, going to school, making their way to adulthood. One example would be a three child home, all girls in little village outside the local town. The local café/tea shop has employed at least one girl from the home for nearly 10 years. Some of the girls walk dogs of the elderly residents in the village. One girl recently left to go to Uni.
There are other homes for children with a more significant needs These children have often suffered significant trauma, have been criminalised and/or have chronic mental health problems. Their behaviour can be problematic to manage, resulting in aggression and violence towards others or themselves.
From a neighbour point of view you likely wouldn't know about the first example. The second example would be seen as persistent police visits and antisocial and damage to the house.
I would echo the point about who runs it, if you can find out the company and then google some of their OFSTED reports that will give you a good indication. If you want to message me I can offer you some advice on the company and the suitability of the location.
Some kids who can't live with their parents just can't settle in foster care, they see it as a replacement family and just don't like it. No behavioural issues, just normal kids, going to school, making their way to adulthood. One example would be a three child home, all girls in little village outside the local town. The local café/tea shop has employed at least one girl from the home for nearly 10 years. Some of the girls walk dogs of the elderly residents in the village. One girl recently left to go to Uni.
There are other homes for children with a more significant needs These children have often suffered significant trauma, have been criminalised and/or have chronic mental health problems. Their behaviour can be problematic to manage, resulting in aggression and violence towards others or themselves.
From a neighbour point of view you likely wouldn't know about the first example. The second example would be seen as persistent police visits and antisocial and damage to the house.
Edited by Fab32 on Friday 6th January 21:37
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