House to be converted into children's home, following approval by Walsall Council
Plans for a new children's home in Bloxwich have been granted permission.
Walsall Council has approved plans to turn a three-bedroom house in Stanley Street into a care home.
Arbor Life has been granted full planning permission to turn the house into a care home for two children aged eight to 17, who would live there on a medium- to long-term basis.
The applicant said it would operate in the same manner as a family home, with two primary carers who would stay overnight at the home.
"Care is provided in small-sized family units where residential carers help to develop the social and life skills needed when the children no longer live within an institutions," it said.
"Without such homes, these children, when they leave the controlled environment of care homes, will often end up in adult institutions, suffering from long-term health problems."
It said no alterations would be made to the outside of the building or its surroundings.
A total of five carers would be employed on a rota basis, operating a shift pattern of 48 hours on and 60 hours off. Staff would be awake day and night to supervise the children, and the home would be subject to a 9pm curfew.
"We are a home and not an institution, although we work hard to rehabilitate children and support any challenging behaviours," said a spokesman for the operator.
"We recognise that some children need more secure settings with additional intensive support, therefore they cannot be housed at Stanley House."
The spokesman said no more 'comings and goings' were expected than for a normal family home.
"The home manager, also a carer, would arrive most weekday mornings, and leave each evening. In terms of other staff on the premises, they would normally work on a 24-hour shift basis, which would involve two changeovers each day."
Planning officer Alex Jelley approved the application, but the scheme will still be subject to approval by Ofsted.
