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Dorset Council has opened a ‘bright and homely’ new children’s home.
College House, which includes a children’s outreach centre for young people and families in need of support, is on Dorchester Road in Weymouth.
A refurbishment project began more than 16 months ago to provide a much-needed children’s home for the Dorset area.
Cllr Andrew Parry said: “I’m delighted to share the opening celebrations for this excellent new children’s home in Weymouth.
“We want all our children in Dorset to have the best chance in life, whatever their circumstances, and this new, bright and homely building with its great team of professionals will really strengthen our provision.”
College House is said to be a welcome addition for children in the south west given the number of children that still require full-time care. As of March 31 last year, just under 400,000 (3%) of children were in the social care system and more than 80,000 of these children were in care according to GOV.co.uk.
With the continued rise of children without care, all regions saw an increase in the number of children’s homes in 2021 and Dorset has continued to increase its supply in 2022.
The new children’s home aligns with a government incentive to evenly distribute children’s homes across the country. Currently the north west accounts for over a quarter of all children’s homes while the south west accounts for just 9%.
The children’s outreach centre, Harbour House, also presents an opportunity for key professionals from multiple agencies to work in a close-knit way in one place to achieve positive outcomes for young people and their families.
College House and Harbour House are on Dorchester Road in Weymouth.
The new home has a large games room with air hockey, a pool table and a games console, where children and their practitioners can focus on therapeutic conversations.
Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Board, Cllr Kate Wheller said: “College House has a wonderful friendly and stable feeling, and I am sure this new home and its professional team will transform many young people’s lives.”
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