Council to close the “worst children’s home in Scotland”

A Paisley children’s home – once dubbed the worst in Scotland – could soon close its doors. Renfrewshire Council looks set to axe Chapel House, which once came bottom of a table of 211 Scottish homes, although it has improved considerably since the report.
The Ardgowan Street centre hit the headlines after a damning report published by home regulator the Care Commission catalogued a list of chronic failures, including pest infestations and squalid and freezing conditions.

Council bosses say the closure is part of a drive towards looking after youngsters in the community.

Councillor Iain McMillan, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s social work, health and wellbeing policy board, said: “The best place for a child to grow up is in a stable, loving family wherever possible.

“We are putting our resources into a range of measures designed to keep children in a supportive family environment for as long as possible.

“This could be with their grandparents or uncles and aunts through a kinship care arrangement or through fostering and adoption.

“If this isn’t possible or suitable, then we want our children’s houses to be homely environments which provide high levels of care and support.”

Care Commission inspectors visiting Chapel House in 2009 found filthy rooms, graffiti marked walls and were told of widespread bullying, violence and drug abuse.

Teenagers even described how they were forced to take cold showers for more than a year after the heating broke down.

However, standards have dramatically improved in recent times with Care Inspectorate officers grading the staff and services either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in each of the past three years.

The local authority is moving towards the creation of smaller children’s houses with more of a family feel, spelling the end for Chapel House.

Two new residential homes costing £2.4million will replace Chapel House, when they open their doors next month.

These houses will be in Arkleston Road, Paisley, and Barochan Road, Johnstone, while 10 flats in a Throughcare Supported Housing unit, for over-16s, is being built by Loretto Housing with grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Social work will lease the property in Charleston Square, Neilston Road, Paisley, from Loretto, with an annual spend of around £650,000 for rental costs, staffing and support.

A key feature of the new houses is that they will have no more than six places each, so they offer a more homely environment, with increased levels of staff support.

Councillor McMillan added: “The council acts as the corporate parent to over 700 children and young people.

“Like any parent, we want to see our children achieve their potential and succeed at school, get jobs and be healthy and active members of their communities.

“These changes are all about giving the children we look after the best environment they need to develop into strong successful adults.”

The council says it is also putting more money into schemes to prevent youngsters from having to be taken into care.