Two children’s homes to be created to help vulnerable young people in Aberdeenshire

Two new children’s homes are to be created in Aberdeenshire to help improve the quality of life for some of the region’s most vulnerable young people.

The move will allow eight youngsters to stay within the region instead of moving to another area.

Around £1.65m will be taken from the Aberdeenshire Transformational Funding to cover the cost of the project.

The local authority will now look to obtain two properties and revamp them before youngsters move in.

The latest figures revealed that 25 young people were living in residential care out of Aberdeenshire.

This means that they are moved further away from their family and friends, and the care comes at a cost for the council.

However, council chiefs believe that half of those could have been accommodated if the council had the capacity to do so.

It costs Aberdeenshire Council around £1.5 million to operate two of its existing children’s homes.

However, the cost of care-only placements for eight young people in other regions could exceed £2m per year.

However, once the two homes are open and operating, the council expects to save up to £823,000 by cutting down on additional care elsewhere.

Aberdeenshire Council currently has four children’s homes: Scalloway Park and Taizali in Fraserburgh, Coblehaugh in Inverurie, and Fernbank in Peterhead.

Combined, the homes offer help and support to 19 young people.

The local authority hopes to add two four-bedroom homes to its children’s home provision.

Officers have considered using unused buildings in its property portfolio, but none are suitable for conversion.

Now, they will look to purchase two properties from the open market instead – but where these will be located is still to be determined.

Once under council ownership, the buildings would be adapted to meet Care Inspectorate requirements.

If everything goes according to plan, the first new home will open in April 2026, and the second will be up and running in October 2027.

Councillors recently agreed to press ahead with the business case for the two homes.

Education chairman, councillor David Keating, said it was a “real win-win” for everyone involved.

He added: “At its heart, this proposal is about allowing more of our most vulnerable citizens to stay as close to home as possible.

“We know that some young people cannot stay with their birth families and it is important that they are able to stay connected to their family, friends and communities.

“Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been possible and it has required us to place some young people outside of Aberdeenshire.

“The cost involved in sending young people out of the area is very high – the potential savings from building these two new homes are considerable.”

Fellow councillor Anne Simpson praised the “exciting” development.

She added: “We’ve a long and proud tradition of establishing and running children’s homes and importantly making them feel like homes.”