Three new homes for children in care set to open this summer
Three new homes for children in care will open in South Gloucestershire this summer.The houses in the villages of Rangeworthy, Frampton Cotterell, and Winterbourne, will provide support for some of the most vulnerable children under the council's care.The homes are part of a plan to place children in care closer to home with evidence suggesting that young people who stay local do much better in school and in building relationships."These homes will keep some of our children who need our help the most in the heart of our communities, where we can collectively nurture them," said South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Councillor Simon Johnson.
"I have had the privilege of meeting many children who have been in care and they have told me clearly, that without help and support from the council and our partners, their lives could have turned out very differently," Mr Johnson explained."They are not just children in care, or care leavers, they are a part of our community, and they need our support."Each of the three "family style" houses will provide space for up to three young people.
In April 2022, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that there were 271 children in care in South Gloucestershire.There is currently not enough capacity to look after all of the children in the council's care in the local area and this often means that people are sent to be housed in unfamiliar locations far away from their existing communities.The council also believes that the homes offer better value for money as placements with private companies outside of the district are more expensive than using a council owned facility.The homes will be managed and staffed by Phoenix Learning and Care.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Not contaminated' designation of Arnold Fields to be reviewed
A council will need to reassess its decision not to call a perennially burning rubbish dump "contaminated".Havering Council's decision was challenged in the High Court on 17 June by Clean the Air in Havering, a group set up to tackle the fires at Launders Lane in landfill site, on Arnolds Field, has caught fire more than 100 times since 2019, sending smoke into homes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) leader Gillian Ford said: "The site belongs to the landowners and it is their responsibility to make it safe – we are ready to work with them to solve the problem." 'Summer of hell' Justice Nathalie Lieven ruled the decision not to designate the land as contaminated by Havering Council in July 2024 as "premature and unlawful".She also found the town hall misunderstood the law by failing to consider smoke as a potential contaminant under contaminated land rules. The council has said its options are "limited".Ford added: "We are now reviewing the detail in the ruling. One thing that is clear is it has asked us to reconsider our decision on whether Arnolds Field is 'contaminated land' or not."Despite the landowner's claims that they're trying to 'improve the site for the local community', the fact remains that they have not yet submitted a formal planning application, and we have seen no evidence to suggest they are serious in finding a solution." Ruth Kettle-Frisby, one of three local mothers leading the campaign, said residents had reported "constant coughing and stinging and irritated eyes," and had been forced to "close all windows during this hot weather"."This month, Rainham residents have reported their understandable distress as they enter 'another summer of hell', with smoke already entering nearby schools," she added. Emily Nicholson, from the law firm Mishcon de Reya, who represents the campaign group Clean the Air in Havering said: "This is the first judgment that we are aware of which deals with assessment under the Contaminated Land Guidance, and it clarifies an important point on smoke being able to be assessed as a contaminant linkage for the purposes of the contaminated land regime. "It also makes clear that where health impacts come from specific sporadic events, such as fires, decisions must be made based on evidence of the impacts of those events."
BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wyre Forest gets £27k to remove littered gum from streets
A district council has received £27,500 to remove chewing gum from its Forest District councillor Ben Brookes said the funding meant the council could "get to work cleaning up and, just as importantly, help remind people to bin their gum rather than drop it".Keep Britain Tidy said the cost of cleaning up chewing gum was estimated at £7m a project, named the Chewing Gum Task Force, has been funded by a £10m investment from gum manufacturers, spread over five years. It has awarded 54 councils grants totalling £1.585 million, which could help clean an estimated 500,000m2 of of Wolverhampton Council had been awarded a grant of £20, Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive, said: "Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces. "People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally - and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up."Brookes added that clearing up the gum would "make a big difference to how our district looks and feels". Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Six of the best mid-strength beers — at 3.4 per cent or less
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
