A £1.1million children’s home that opened in Aberdeen last year has come under fire from care chiefs following a “difficult opening period”.
Inspectors have raised concerns about Marchburn Children’s Home after staff admitted they were struggling to provide a “stable, safe and supportive environment” for the youngsters in their care.
The residential facility, which is run by Aberdeen City Council in the city’s Northfield area, was also awarded one of the lowest possible grades by the Care Inspectorate for the quality of environment, with local children wandering in off the street and damaged security systems.
Last night, the local authority’s social care, wellbeing and safety convener, councillor Len Ironside, said the facility was still going through a “settling-in” period.
“Marchburn Children’s Home is a comparatively new facility which opened just eight months ago,” he said.
“The report clearly recognises that the well trained and committed staff are working very hard, under sometimes challenging circumstances, to deal with issues which have arisen in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable young people.
“Action to address the issues raised by the inspection was already in hand and we will continue to work to deliver on the report’s recommendations.”
When plans were initially lodged for the new home at Marchburn Road, the project was hailed as a “tremendous” opportunity for the city.
Inspectors visited the facility unannounced in April and again in May.
They noted that despite the fact it was not supposed to admit emergency cases unless absolutely necessary, the majority of children were being admitted on an unplanned basis.
“The crisis nature of their admission had led to a fairly unsettled unit with young people often finding it difficult to engage with staff in a meaningful way,” the report said.
“The staff team had worked hard to provide the stable, safe and supportive environment stated in their aims and objectives, however this had proved difficult.”
The inspectors did note though that staff were “well-trained” and wanted to provide a positive experience for the young people living in their care.
The inspectors were also concerned about the safety of the facility, with the door entry system broken and security cameras damaged.
“Local young people had been entering the building. Visits were clearly unwanted and compromised the safety of staff and young people,” the inspectors said.
“Ongoing efforts were being made to secure all areas of the premises.”