New homes for young people leaving care to be built in North Devon and Exeter

Plans to build eight new ‘gap homes’ to support young people leaving care in Barnstaple and Exeter have been approved by Devon County Council’s cabinet.

The council will work with children’s charity Barnardo’s, which has just received an £18million grant from the Katherine Martin Charitable Trust to implement the scheme at sites across the UK.

In Barnstaple, it will see the construction of supported accommodation for young people aged 16 and over at the east end of Silverhill Lodge.

These will help young people transition from the care system towards independent living – each home will be specifically designed for young people with higher levels of need who may not thrive in a shared home.

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In Exeter, the council will lease land at Aldens Farm in Alphington.

Barnardo’s will invest £950,000 per site while Devon County Council (DCC) will lease the land for 125 years as match funding.

Each site will have a cluster of four self-contained homes and separate accommodation for a support worker, who will be on hand to help provide individual support and guidance.

It is hoped planning permission can be gained next year amd construction can start by March 2027.

Councillor Richard Jefferies, DCC cabinet member for children’s social care said: “Children leaving care and transitioning into independent living often have difficult histories and residential care or shared living arrangements might not always be suitable or in their best interests.

“Without stable housing and the right support, they can struggle to stay in education, find work, or access training and this can increase the risk of homelessness and serious health issues.

“Gap homes provide a suitable alternative; they are safe and will provide stable accommodation for some of our most vulnerable young people.

“I would like to thank Barnardo’s for their generosity and for providing us with this opportunity and I look forward to working with them in the best interests of our care leavers in the years to come.”

READ MORE: Devon has rising numbers of children in care – and not enough money

At the cabinet meeting yesterday (Wednesday, July 23) Donna Manson, the council’s chief executive, welcomed the ‘amazing work’ that had helped support the scheme, but noted assistance needed to be in place to ensure the young people in these homes flourished

She recognised huge efforts by Devon’s district councils, social care staff, and county council officers to create a more joined-up system that supports those in their transition out of care.

She added: “A key part of our discussions, though, has been the number of evictions, which is heart-breaking, as so many people have worked hard to get young people into accommodation but the number of evictions is astonishingly high.

“Partners are working well together but we have identified a gap in health and emotional support and support for trauma and addiction.

“We have talked about how to start plugging that gap as soon as possible, as if we don’t provide vulnerable young people with key support in relation to health, in the right way and in their locality, that can lead to issues.”

Councillor Jacqi Hodgson said she had been a foster parent and had experienced the difficulties some young people feel when leaving care.

“They are desperate to get on their feet but are terribly vulnerable, so if units like these ones exist, where others in the same situation are also living, who have had similar experiences and all of those young people have the support of a trusted adult, I think this could be a critical way forward,” she said.

Cllr Hodgson acknowledged that while the two projects would only provide eight spaces, it was ‘money well invested and we are lucky to have it in Devon’.