'This is what children's homes should be like' - New specialist home for young people with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs
There’s a resident robin at Barnsley’s Church View Children’s Place, one that visits regularly and taps on the window to one of the bedrooms of the newly-fitted specialist children’s home.
“We hope that it is of significance,” says Louise Riby, founder of the home alongside husband Eddie. The pair have recently finished the first phase of its transformation from a former elderly care home, where, ten years ago, Eddie’s gran once lived – in the very bedroom to which the robin returns. “I like to think it is her looking down and being really proud of what we’re doing,” he says. It’s certainly a special connection.
The Bungalow at Church View Children’s Place (CVCP) is expected to open its doors later this year to provide residential care for six children and young people, aged seven to 19, with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs. Friends, family, supporters and the new staff team came together earlier this month to celebrate, enjoying guided tours and discovering the vision behind the development.
"We talk about love-led care which sounds very cringey but that’s what we are aiming for,” says 37-year-old Louise, a former senior children’s nurse with the NHS. “We want children to feel safe, be happy, have opportunities and for families to feel that their child is safe here.”
CVCP has been inspired both by Louise’s experience in nursing and Eddie’s passion for community investment. His e-commerce business Direct Global Trading experienced a boost during the covid and post-pandemic era and the entrepreneur was looking to reinvest in Barnsley, where the couple live.
Through her NHS role, Louise says she was well aware of the demand for services for children with complex needs – and so the idea for a children’s home providing residential and respite care was born.
Securing the building, in Hoyland, was somewhat of a fluke. When the pair came across it, the bidding process for its sale had already ended. But 43-year-old Eddie decided to make an offer anyway, in case circumstances changed – and it proved to be a worthwhile move.
A few weeks later, in June last year, he got a call from the estate agent and by August, the sale was complete. Louise maintains she never dismissed the property. “I had a gut feeling that it was going to come back. Something in me said this was going to work for us. I felt like I knew in my heart of hearts.”
Fast-forward a year and after a long process of emptying and renovating the building, largely using local suppliers and tradespeople, The Bungalow is ready to open its doors, pending registration with regulator Ofsted.
Designed around the needs of the children who will live there, it features a range of innovative facilities including six en-suite bedrooms, a cinema room, gaming and arcade spaces, sensory bathrooms, education and wellbeing areas, and accessible outdoor play spaces with specialist equipment.
Dedicated transport will also help children access school, healthcare appointments, family visits and community activities, promoting independence and inclusion. It has been created, Louise and Eddie say, “to provide a safe, nurturing environment where children feel valued, develop confidence, learn essential life skills and have every opportunity to thrive”.
Plans are already underway for a second phase, The Manor House, which will offer nurse-led short-break and respite care for families of children aged 0 to 19 with complex medical needs and learning disabilities, alongside additional specialist facilities including a hydrotherapy pool and adapted gym.
"We’re confident that we can meet the needs of lots of children that other places can’t necessarily do,” says Louise. “I wanted to deliver a service that I can be really proud of.
"I want children to be happy here, staff to be happy here, and families to be happy about their children being here...I am determined that every child at Church View will either meet or exceed their expected outcomes – and we will put in place what they need to get them there.”
“We want to create a blueprint that the government can look at and that local authorities can look at and think this is how it should be," adds Eddie. “This is what children’s homes should be like – we want to set the standard, set the bar, and show how children benefit.”
- To find out more, visit churchviewchildrensplace.co.uk