Waltham Forest (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Waltham Forest Council set to lead construction of London’s only secure children’s home, aiming to fill a critical gap after years of delays and setbacks.
The authority plans and constructs the unit on a former waterworks at Lea Bridge Road, as suggested by London Councils.
Top council members must approve the takeover, and there are presently no preparations for the council to operate the center on a daily basis.
A spokesperson for London Councils said:
“Should cabinet approve this proposal, the council’s capital delivery team will start working with London Councils to deliver this much needed secure children’s home on behalf of London local authorities.”
The facility would house 24 vulnerable youngsters.
The spokesperson added:
“There is still a national shortage of welfare placements in secure children’s homes and currently there is no service of this kind in London.
This means some of London’s most vulnerable children and young people are still waiting too long for the specialist care they need, or they are placed hundreds of miles away – far from their families, carers, friends and other people that are important to them.
This distance has a negative impact on the work that local authorities, health and education services do to help children and young people make a successful transition from secure care back into the community.”
Locals have advocated for the property to be transformed into a public, natural swimming park, despite the government and Waltham Forest Council expressing support for the children’s home.
Plans for a natural swimming pool, a “forest school,” an arts facility, and mosaics on the Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) have been shared by the East London Waterworks Park (ELWP) team.
To date, the charity has raised almost £500,000 to turn the site, which is situated on the boundary between Hackney and Waltham Forest, into a community space.
Maintaining a swimming park would be a more appropriate use of MOL and more consistent with the policy’s goals of preserving the urban environment.
The government owns the land, and it has not yet formally proposed to convert it.
London Councils has not disclosed the center’s precise requirements or the reasons behind selecting the Lea Bridge location for the safe children’s home out of a list of 70.
There is presently no timeframe in place, and the unit has not received formal planning authorization either.
Last September, plans were halted to allow the Department of Education to assess the project’s delivery. Additionally, “further design development” was required.
On Tuesday, September 9th, a decision will be taken regarding the council taking over the home’s design and development.
How will the secure children’s home address London’s shortage of placements for vulnerable children?
The secure home will provide up to 24 specialist welfare placements for highly vulnerable children with complex needs, plus accommodation for 4 children transitioning out of secure care. This will be the only secure children’s home within London, helping reduce the current dependence on distant facilities often located 200 miles away.
Currently, children in need of secure welfare placements often wait several months and are placed far from their families and communities.
Having a local secure home will speed up access to appropriate care and keep children closer to their support networks, improving their outcomes.