A children’s home in Huddersfield has shut down without warning amid claims it was unsafe.
Copthorne House in Bradley was closed late last week at short notice.
A source told the Examiner on Monday and Kirklees Council has now responded to confirm one home has been closed.
The source said the home was deemed to be unsafe and claimed half-a-dozen children had been moved on.
They said: “Six children lived there and their lives have been torn apart as they are effectively homeless and separated from all their friends, schools and social networks.”
Kirklees Council declined to comment on the specifics of the closure or even confirm it was Copthorne House, when questioned by the Examiner.
Director of children’s services Steve Walker said: “I can confirm that one of Kirklees’ children’s care homes has been closed on a temporary basis as a result of a number of factors that impacted on the day to day functioning of the home.
“The children who were living there at the time have been placed in alternative accommodation as close as possible to the care home so that they face as little disruption as possible.
“The welfare of the children remains the council’s highest priority and we hope to have the issues on site resolved as soon as possible.”
Kirklees Council’s brochure for Copthorne House reveals it is a medium or long term home for young people.
Children have their own lockable rooms and are supervised by in house staff, who also arrange trips and holidays.
Staff are trained in restraint methods and youngsters are informed that there are procedures are in place if things turn violent.
The brochure says: “Young people are not allowed in each other’s rooms.
“Staff will not normally enter your room and will knock before doing so if they wish to gain entry to talk to you.
“However, there may be occasions when staff will go into your room without prior permission, such as for a health and safety matter or because of some form of unacceptable behaviour.”
It adds: “When you are at Copthorne House, if your behaviour becomes threatening or physically violent towards yourself or others, the staff where they feel it is correct, may need to restrain you.
“We will do this in a safe, dignified and respectful way only as a last resort.
“This is not done as a punishment but as a means of ensuring that everybody is safe.
All staff are trained in Team Teach restraint methods to ensure that it is done safely.
“We aim to avoid injury, but it is possible that bruising or scratching may occur accidentally and this is a regrettable but infrequent occurrence, while
attempting to keep young people safe.”
