Council says myths about children’s homes and crime must be challenged

Councillors and officers in Walsall have said misconceptions linking children’s homes to increased crime and antisocial behaviour need to be dispelled.

Planning applications for children’s homes have become a regular feature of planning committee meetings often as a result of petitions from residents against the proposals.

Objections frequently raise concerns about potential crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as questions about the backgrounds of the children who would be living in the former family homes

Executive director for children’s services at Walsall Council, Colleen Male, says unruly children’s homes are a thing of the past.

She said: “People’s immediate response is that they don’t want a children’s home on their doorstep. But well-run children’s homes are no different to a family home because they are very different now.

“When I was a social worker I would go to visit homes where there were six, seven, eight or nine children, a lot of them on the roofs throwing things at me as I got out the car. That is a thing of the past.

“Ward councillors can help break down and dispel some of the myths. I live by three children’s homes, and they just look like normal homes. I’ve never seen one with any problems. I only know they’re children’s homes because of my job.”

Councillor Lucy Darby added: “When I do get emails about concerns from residents my heart is always torn.  I think that we need to educate communities and it’s about us trying to abolish these preconceptions of children causing problems in the community.”

Councillor Hajran Bashir said it would be helpful to quash residents’ fears if ward councillors were given further information about the type of children going into the home.

Isabel Vanderheeren, a director in the children’s services department at Walsall Council, said the council’s priority is with the quality of the provider, rather than the type of children.

She said: “In terms of that preconception it almost doesn’t matter what kind of children. We need to have providers that will meet their needs because that’s when they’re going to thrive.

“We need that provision for all ages and all needs so that shouldn’t come into it, it’s about the quality of the provider doing that work.”

While applications for children’s homes have regularly featured at planning committee meetings, recent changes to the planning system mean this is likely to become far less common.

Under the new reforms by the Labour government, applications of this kind will generally be decided by planning officers rather than being referred to committee.

By Rachel Alexander | Local Democracy Reporting Service