Bolton: Plans for new family support and assessment home

If approved, the proposal will see a house on Glendale Drive in Ladybridge converted into the new centre, which will provide a short term hub for parents and their children to be given 24 hour support.

This will be the first service of its kind in Bolton and will be regulated by education regulator Ofsted, which will inspect the premises and suitability of staff if approval for the change of use is granted.

A statement from YA Architectural Services said: “A residential family assessment centre is a short term provision that supports vulnerable parents with their children who without the support would otherwise have their children removed from their care.

“Parents and their children are placed within a family centre where 24 hour support and monitoring via CCTV and qualified support staff assist them to develop their parenting skills.”

Parents and their children will be given 24 hour support at the new centre (Image: YA Architectural Services)

It added: “There will be a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy in place meaning any parents that are actively drinking or taking drugs would not be accepted to the centre therefore the likelihood of disturbances within the local community are significantly reduced.

“Additionally there are terms and conditions relating to a parents conduct in place which are agreed and signed prior to admission.

“Failure to adhere to the conduct agreement would result in either a warning or the ending of their placement which given the fact their children would then be removed from their care is something parents endeavour to avoid.”

Parents at the centre will receive support from a qualified counsellor and will be assessed by a qualified social worker over a period of 12 to 14 weeks.

Staff will be on site for 24 hours a day working 12 hour shifts, with changeovers in the morning and evening.

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No changes have been proposed to the external façade of the house and, according to planners, the fact that the building is detached means that it is unlikely to cause any problems with noise for other families in the area.

The statement said: “The purpose of this type of service is to support parents in their own communities so that when they return to their own homes with their children they have been assisted to settle into community parent groups which they continue to access after their assessment has finished.”

The plans were put before the council earlier in December and will be open for neighbourhood consultations until Monday, January 9.