Residential Care for Children

Torbay Council runs one children's home - Broadhaven Children's Home, which works with children and young people. A children's home is a place where children and young people live together as a group, with our staff to look after them.

A children's home provides one kind of alternative care, amongst others, to ensure that the needs of children are met when they cannot live with their own family. It is a place for children to develop and grow, as well as providing support, food, shelter, and space for play and leisure in a caring environment. Children's homes look after children with many different needs.

When children and young people come to live in a children's home, they will have a Care Plan. Their Care Plan says why a child is living in a home, what is supposed to happen while they are living there and what is supposed to happen at the end of their stay. Most children will go home, but a few go to live with other families and a few go to live in other homes. Older children who are not planning to return home are given help to prepare them for living on their own - this is called independence work, provided through the Care to Community team.

Education is important. Children go to their own school if they have a school place, or will get help to return to school.

It is very important that children and young people stay in touch with their family and friends. It is only when they might be hurt, or a Court Order says that contact is not allowed, that some children will not be able to have visits from their family or will not be able to visit them.

Children and young people are respected as individuals. By providing for their religious and cultural needs children are encouraged to keep their sense of personal identity and community.

Eligibility for the Service

Children and young people who have to live away from their own families for all sorts of reasons, which might be if:

• their parents are unwell.
• there are duifficulties within family relationships that put children at risk.
• they may have a disability and need a break from living with their families.
• they are in the care of local authority subject on a Court Order or an Interim Care Order.

Generally, when children and young people need to live away from their families, they will stay with foster carers.  It is only when foster care is either not possible or not desirable accommodation or may not be what the young person would choose that they might live in a children's home.

In all cases, we make sure that all the alternatives are fully considered before recommending residential care.