A children’s charity has welcomed the building of a new care home in the borough.
Kingston Council has announced plans for a children’s care home in Surbiton, which is expected to open in early 2026 subject to planning permission.
The proposed home has been praised by Become, a charity that supports children in care and care-leavers.
Katharine Sacks-Jones, CEO of Become, said: “It’s welcome that Kingston Council is building its own children’s home.”
What are the plans?
The project is expected to cost £2,737,000, including £1,368,000 funded by the Department for Education.
The plans include the demolition of two semi-detached houses in Surbiton for the construction of the residential children’s home in their place.
These existing properties, which were purchased by the council in 2019 for £990,000, have been vacant for several years and are in poor condition, according to the council.
A council spokesperson said: “After conducting an options appraisal, it was decided that demolishing the current buildings and constructing a new home would provide better value for money, ensuring the home meets Ofsted requirements and is fit for purpose.”
If approved, the home will house up to three children, aged 13 to 18, from across the boroughs of Kingston and Richmond.
The home will be run by Kingston Council’s children’s services provider Achieving for Children, which has operated Hope House in Richmond since 2020.
Why is the home being built?
There are between 100 and 150 children in the care of Kingston Council, most of who have been placed with foster families in the local community.
A council spokesperson said: “The new children’s home will be designed to provide a safe, nurturing, and therapeutic environment for children who need residential care.”
They added: “Many of the children we care for have experienced trauma, so each child placed will have an individual support plan. With a maximum of three children in the home at any time, this ensures each child receives the focused attention they need to thrive.”
Demand for residential care placements in the borough has increased significantly in recent years from 15 in the financial year ending 2021 to 22 in 2024.
With limited placements, local authorities have placed children across the country or – when there is no other option – in illegal unregistered homes, such as rented flats, caravans, and barges, that lack proper safeguards and can cost the authority up to £20,000 per week for each child.
In 2024, 77% of children in care in Kingston were placed outside the borough. This not only costs significantly more but can be substantially more disruptive to the children’s lives.
Become’s #GoneTooFar campaign seeks to raise awareness of the impact of removing children in care from their network and local community.
“If three children can go to the same school, see their friends on the weekend and see their grandparents – everything a normal child can do – then that’s a good thing,” said Suzy Barber, Become’s Press and Media Officer.
The charity welcomes councils like Kingston building more local residential care homes.
Sacks-Jones said: “We’d like to see more local authorities increase the number of their own homes so children can be kept close to the people and places that matter to them.”
