Devon County Council has completed a feasibility study to rebuild a new secure children’s home at an out-of-town location in South Devon.
The Department for Education (DfE) funded study is ready to submit to the DfE for its approval and to release funds.
The Cabinet gave its approval to proceed with the proposal, subject to the DfE’s capital grant being secured.
If the scheme progresses, the new secure children’s home would replace the current Atkinson secure children’s home in Exeter.
The Atkinson home is national resource that supports vulnerable children including those at risk of suffering significant harm.
However the current home is reaching the end of its useful life and is no longer suitable for meeting the diverse therapeutic needs of the vulnerable young people placed there.
The new proposal would allow the provision to expand to meet the needs of more vulnerable young people in Devon and nationally.
The Council are working with specialist surveyors to decide whether the proposed site is feasible for the new-build.
If the site is deemed feasible, a full planning application would follow and the public would have opportunity to have their say about the application as part of that planning process.
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