£2m children’s home planned for Blackburn

A new £2million home for children with complex mental health needs and challenging behaviour is to be developed by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Senior councillors will be asked to approve the scheme when they meet tomorrow night (Thursday).

The proposal is outlined in a report to the borough’s executive board by children’s services boss Cllr Julie Gunn.

It will use an existing vacant council-owned building and will be paid for from a £958,000 Department for Education grant matched by a similar contribution from the authority.

It would require 11 staff and if approved open in 2028/29.

Cllr Gunn’s report says: “The proposal outlines the development of a three-bed children’s home within Blackburn with Darwen, designed to provide care and support for children aged 10 to 16 years.

“This initiative seeks to address the increasing demand and escalating costs associated with specialist residential placements, which in some cases are costing the authority up to £15,000 per week.

“Children requiring residential placements to meet complex needs often need flexible, responsive packages of support that vary in intensity over time.

“Our aim is to minimise disruption to their existing support networks when placements are interrupted or breakdown.

“Between September 2023 and February 2025, the number of children placed in residential care rose sharply by 35, increasing our reliance on external providers and resulting in a high number of out-of-borough placements.

“Provider reluctance to accept placements involving high-risk behaviours and compatibility concerns has made it increasingly difficult to secure appropriate long-term homes— particularly for children with complex mental health needs.

“Three of these placements have since broken down, and seven are incurring high weekly costs, averaging £8,250.

“The proposed development of a new residential home would reduce reliance on unregistered and unregulated provision, ensuring high-quality, specialist care for our most vulnerable children.

“From a financial perspective, the underlying principle of this proposal is to invest in the council’s own in-house provision in place of costly external placements.

“The cost of external placements has increased significantly over recent years as demand has exceeded the supply of available places.

“Not progressing with the development risks perpetuating a cycle of reactive, high-cost, and potentially unsafe placements.

“Investing in a local, specialist residential home would not only improve outcomes for children but also strengthen the borough’s capacity to meet complex needs sustainably and safely.

“The preferred site for the new provision is already owned by the council.

“Design options have been drawn up and the overall cost of refurbishment has been estimated to be just under £1.92m.

“Once in operation, which is anticipated to be in 2028/29, the new residential home will incur operating costs estimated at £856.000.

“If three children were able to be placed in the new residential home, rather than an external commissioned placement, this could result in residual savings of £857,000 over a 12-month period.”