Social work chiefs want to establish new team to work with vulnerable teenagers

The former Choices day centre for disabled people in Aberdeen could be transformed into a facility for teenagers with behaviour problems, it emerged last night.

Social work chiefs have recommended using the centre in Westburn Road to establish a new team to help vulnerable youngsters.

Choices provided respite care for more than 50 disabled adults before it became a high-profile victim of the local authority’s budget cuts when it closed amid a storm of protests in May last year.

Today, Aberdeen City Council’s social work committee will rule on plans to turn the centre into a base for a newly-established intensive community support and learning service, catering for up to 20 people aged between 12-16.

The move has been described by officials as a “critical strategic shift” in the way the council looks after vulnerable youngsters, and an initiative aimed at cutting the costs of placements at external residential schools.

It is part of a wider overhaul of social services in Aberdeen, following years of overspending and last year’s highly critical government inspection reports.

The committee will also consider closing the Burnside day centre for adults with learning disabilities.

Wheelchair-user Kevin McCahery led protests and legal action against the council over the closure of Choices.

He said: “It defeats the purpose of closing it altogether if they are going to reopen it now as something else.

“We have moved on since then – we had to because we would have become bitter and twisted.”

Social work committee convener Jim Kiddie welcomed the plans.

“I see this as an important move for forward development, and it’s in tune with what we are trying to achieve in bringing out-of-town children back into Aberdeen and giving them the care they need,” he said.

Council officials had initially earmarked the building at 116 Westburn Road for potential rezoning for development in the council’s next local plan.

The local authority pays up to £200,000 a year for every child it places in a residential school and up to £520,000 for every place in secure accommodation. The costs are a burden on tight budgets and topped £4million last year.

The city council had 54 in external residential schools in June this year, with six in secure accommodation.

The new team would be comprised of four community workers, two support assistants, four teachers, a manager and a secretary.

In total, the project would cost an estimated £583,981 to set up, with up to £75,000 to be spent upgrading the former Choices centre to include classrooms, activity rooms and offices.

Youngsters referred to the new team would have shown offending behaviour, experienced family difficulties, mental health issues, addiction problems or abuse.