Walsall officials urge residents to reconsider concerns about children’s homes

Walsall council officials say misconceptions linking children’s homes with crime and antisocial behaviour need to be challenged, as planning proposals for the homes have regularly prompted petitions from residents.

Objections to applications often raise concerns about possible crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as questions about the backgrounds of children who might live in a former family home. Council representatives said communities and ward councillors could help address those concerns.

Colleen Male, Walsall Council’s executive director for children’s services, said well-run children’s homes today were very different from some she encountered earlier in her career as a social worker. She recalled visiting homes where six to nine children were on roofs throwing objects as she got out of her car, adding that such situations were “a thing of the past”.

Male said people often reacted by saying they did not want a children’s home nearby. But, she argued, well-run homes were now much like family houses. She said she lived by three children’s homes and had not seen problems there, adding that she knew they were homes because of her job.

Councillor Lucy Darby said residents sometimes emailed her with concerns, leaving her feeling torn. She said communities needed to be educated and that efforts should be made to dispel preconceptions about children causing problems locally.

Councillor Hajran Bashir said ward councillors having more information about the type of children who would live in a proposed home could help ease residents’ fears.

Isabel Vanderheeren, a director in the council’s children’s services department, said the council’s priority was the quality of the provider, rather than the type of children placed in a home. She also said provision was needed for children of all ages and needs, and that suitable providers were important in helping children thrive.

The planning route for these applications is also set to change. New reforms by the Labour government mean applications for children’s homes will generally be decided by planning officers rather than referred to a planning committee, making committee appearances likely to become less common.

The comments come as proposals for children’s homes have become a recurring issue at planning committee meetings. The council figures’ remarks address both the objections raised by residents and the role councillors could play in explaining proposed provision to their communities.

Information on this page is refreshed from the connected theuk.fyi services when the interactive page loads.