Plans submitted for new residential children’s home in South Shields

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has received an application for 187 Stanhope Road in the West Park ward in South Shields.

Plans from care company ROC Group aim to convert the property from a standard dwelling house to a residential children’s home, housing a maximum of four children aged 8-18.

According to its website, ROC Group specialises in “providing care solutions for children, young people and families in the North East of England”.

A planning application for the Stanhope Road building in South Shields outlines how the children’s home would operate.

This includes staff working on a rota “carrying out ‘sleep overs’ ensuring the house is always occupied by a minimum of two staff members”.

It was noted that there would be crossover between shifts to complete a staff handover and that the home manager and deputy manager would be present in the home during office hours.

The new children’s home would also include four bedrooms for children and two staff office/sleep areas.

The planning application adds: “The young people occupying the homes will receive support from morning wake up, to going to bed at a reasonable time on the evening. 

“Staff will facilitate with medical appointments, activities and education where required – the level of support given is tailored to each child, dependent on their care plan and age. 

 “The property will be maintained by ROC Group’s in-house maintenance team, all of which are DBS checked”.

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The planning application adds that 13 full-time employees and one part-time employee are proposed for the children’s home development.

A decision on the planning application will be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Comments can be made on the application, via South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website, until May 28, 2024.

For more information on the plan or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0250/24/FUL.