Work is under way to build a new £1.8m children’s home in Leicester – the first to be built in the city for more than 40 years.
Leicester City Council has commissioned the new £1.8m home, with backing of £800,000 from the Department for Education.
Located in the west of the city, it will provide purpose-built accommodation for six young people, between the ages of eight and 17, offering five bedrooms with ensuite facilities as well as two semi-independent living flats, a kitchen, lounge, games room and sleeping quarters for staff.
The build is the latest phase of work by the city council to expand its in-house provision of places for children and young people who can’t live with their birth families.
Work was recently completed to convert two council-owned houses in the south of the city into a children’s home, providing residential care for five young people.
The two projects mean the city council will be able to care for more children and young people in-house, increasing the number of council children’s homes from six to eight, caring for up to 48 children and young people.
Deputy city mayor for social care, Cllr Sarah Russell, said: “We are determined to provide the best possible care for the children and young people we look after. Most children who can’t live with their birth families live with foster carers, but this isn’t right for everyone, and increasing demand for children’s social care services in recent years means there has been a significant rise in demand for residential children’s homes. This is the case across the country.
“Providing more children’s homes within the city means children and young people can continue to receive support within their communities rather than them moving away from Leicester. This continuity and stability can be very important to children experiencing major disruption to their lives.
“There are also long-term financial advantages to providing more places ourselves.”
The new home will feature a range of energy efficiency measures including roof-mounted photo-voltaic panels, and air source heat pumps. It will also serve as a hub for training for social care staff, foster carers and other professionals.
Leicester City Council has appointed Loughborough-based Scope Construction as its development partner for the ambitious project, following a competitive tendering exercise.
Construction is expected to take around one year to complete, with the new children’s home likely to open in late-2025.
