Work on £5m children's home starts to take shape

The construction of a £5m purpose-built centre for children with disabilities and complex learning needs has begun in Chesterfield.

The home, situated on the Ashgate Croft School campus, will provide short-break respite and long-term care and is due to open in November.

Derbyshire County Council said the home would create a "nurturing environment" for children and their families while supporting the council's commitment to improve services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Julie Patten, cabinet member for children and families at the council, said the project demonstrated a "long-term commitment in supporting some of the county's most vulnerable children".

The home, named Spire Lodge, will offer children opportunities they may not have in a domestic setting, which can "help to support independence, education and health routines", the council said.

The short breaks also aim to give families respite from the "pressures of caring for a child with SEND", the local authority added.

The building will replace the site in Sheffield Road which housed the Outback Centre and a children's home.

Concertus, who designed the new building, said the current site was no longer functional due to the "deteriorating condition" of some of its buildings, its vast layout, and the Spire Lodge building's original design as an elderly residential home, which posed "safety issues" for the site users.

Patten said: "The new children home features a bespoke design to support children in an individual but social environment in the heart of the community, with local shops, amenities, and parks nearby and is next to Ashgate School where some of the children will attend.

"I'm particularly pleased to hear about the provision the home gives to children in care with disabilities and how it builds a bridge to adult services, supporting families in managing transitions and helping to maintain education placements."

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