Almondbank House
Background
Almondbank House provides a facility for offering integrated
support to vulnerable children and their families. The facility
also provides a nurture base for a small number of primary age
children whose needs cannot be met wholly through current
mainstream provision. In addition residential/respite care
(which can include work with the whole family) is available for up
to 4 children in a house within the same 'campus'.
In other Councils, such provision is generally delivered from a
number of centres. Our new building provides all these
facilities under one roof. It is beginning to prove
successful in generating further ways of working, building on the
sharing of skills of partner agencies.
Working together we are delivering a wide range of services from
Almondbank House, with the
Community Support / Residential - Social Work Early Years Team,
Primary Behaviour Support, Barnardo's and Hopscotch (who work
with children affected by parental substance misuse).
The Development Officer for Managing Challenging Behaviour and
Looked After Coordinator, Parent to Parent, Children First and
other visiting specialists such as psychologists, will shortly have
a base at Almondbank. A shared administrative support team is
permanently based there.
Almondbank House also provides an up-to-date interview
suite for children undergoing joint Police / Social Work Child
Protection investigations, and case conference
facilities.
Consultation
A number of specialist advisors were consulted on the design of
this establishment, including representatives of the Scottish
Institute for Residential Childcare and the Care Commission, as
well as Council childcare and education professionals.
The design was developed in-house by the Council's Property
Division Construction Team supported by the construction partner
Morrison Construction Ltd, working alongside the Education &
Children's Services Projects Support Team.
The support of neighbours, the local community and tenant
association representatives was greatly appreciated.
Project Team
The partnering team included Education & Children's
Services' Projects Support Team representatives, Design team
representatives, Construction Team representatives and the CDM
Co-ordinator.
Award
This project was awarded Silver in Perth & Kinross Council's
'Securing the Future Awards 2009' in the category 'Improving
Services through Partnership'.
Key Project Data
| Name of Establishment |
Almondbank House |
| Location |
Lewis Place, Perth PH1 3BD |
| Procurement |
Traditional partnering |
| On site start date |
April 2008 |
| Occupation date |
19 December 2008 |
