Plans revealed to permanently close Notts children’s home

Plans have been revealed to permanently close a Nottinghamshire children’s home a year after its doors were temporarily shut.
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Children with learning disabilities were moved out of Minster View in Southwell in November 2020.

Nottinghamshire Council said an ‘emerging picture’ of lacking best practice at the home was behind the move, alongside pandemic-related staff shortages.

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At the time, the council said there were ‘no proposals to permanently close’ the home.

Minster View children's view in Southwell.Minster View children's view in Southwell.
Minster View children's view in Southwell.

Now, council papers reveal a plan for the home – which has been deemed ‘not fit for purpose’ – to close for good.

It comes after reports show almost £1.7 million was spent on keeping Minster View closed during the last 12 months by sending the children to private placements instead.

Of the five children who lived there, four were relocated to private homes and one was placed in another council-run home.

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Now, the authority plans to open its own, smaller home in the county for children with ‘severe learning disabilities and very complex behaviours’.

Coun Tracey Taylor, council children and young people’s committee chairman, denied plans had been in the pipeline for some time.

She said: “When Minister View originally closed on a genuine temporary basis, that was because we had staff on sickness and a number of other issues.

“As the world opens up, we probably would’ve been looking at opening the doors of Minster View – although ironically we wouldn’t necessarily be bringing those people back into the building.

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“It is a significant decision being suggested for carefully considered reasons.

“There was no past story, the circumstances are such it has given us the chance to look at it very thoroughly and clearly.

“The best thing we can do for the future care of children is not to put them in Minster View.”

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Comparable

It comes as the council recorded a 2.4 per cent overspend in its children and young people’s budget, equating to £2.2m, relating to issues with placements for looked-after children in the county.

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Steve Edwards, service director for youth, families and social work, said the cost of private care is ‘comparable’ with what the authority would have spent on keeping the children at Minster View.

He said: “That old Victorian institution near the workhouse isn’t somewhere we want children to call home.

“We recognise for a small number of children with severe learning difficulties, it is probably better we have our own provision.

“We want to find a new home that caters for the children with the profile that went to Minster View.

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“We are not doing this to save money, we are doing it in the best interests of the children.”

Most staff who worked at Minster View have taken up roles in other teams, so no redundancies are expected, although the future of the building, a council asset, remains unknown.

Minster View has a six-bed residential unit for young people aged aged nine to 19 with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, as well as another six beds for shorter stays.

Council papers state: “Minster View as a venue for a residential children’s home is too large, has an institutionalised feel and limits the ability to provide oversight of the quality of care.

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Councillors will be asked to vote on the plans during a children and young people’s committee meeting on December 13.

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