Charity boss urges residents to write to MP after plans for Northampton children’s home pulled due to objections

Following the confirmation that a planning application for a children’s home in Northampton had been pulled due to objections from residents, a children in care charity boss has written an open letter.

Katharine Sacks-Jones is the CEO of Become, which is the national charity for children in care and care leavers.

The charity is asking for more “understanding” and is urging residents to contact their MP to ask why more is not being done in central Government to help children in care.

Ms Sacks-Jones writes: “We read your recent article, on Kingsthorpe residents’ reactions to plans for a new children’s home in Greenhills Road, with sadness and dismay.”

Regional Therapeutic Homes (RTH) originally submitted an application to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to use a property in Greenhills Road, Kingsthorpe as a children’s home.

The first was withdrawn just before Christmas after an agent said it was “too weak” to get permission and needed to be reconsidered following a “barrage of objections”.

Some residents who objected said they were concerned about an increase in sewage, a hike in crime and properties losing value. One said their neighbourhood is only for “like-minded” people.

They said it would not be “suitable” to house looked after children “slap bang in the middle of a family and senior citizens’ environment” in a comment on the WNC planning portal.

Ms Sacks-Jones continues: “Care-experienced children are still children – and all children need love, kindness, and stability to thrive.

“Children in the care system have often faced significant trauma, abuse, or neglect before being removed from their families.

“This is not their fault. Care should then be a place they can recover; a place of safety, stability, and kindness – but sadly, for far too many children, it’s not. To then go through life facing the stigma and rejection of being in care is yet another barrier they face.

“The truth is the care system is overwhelmed with record numbers of children in care and not enough suitable places (such as children’s homes or foster homes) for them to live.

“As a result, children are being moved from home to home, often multiple times a year, and sometimes hundreds of miles away.

“Imagine the impact that would have on your own child: to move away from everything that’s familiar (often without warning) and adapt to a different home, different carer, different school – without knowing how long you’ll be there for. This is what the children we work with experience over and over again.

“Rather than respond to planning applications for children’s homes, we ask the people of Kingsthorpe to write to their local MP and ask why more isn’t being done by the Government to give all children in care the loving and supportive homes they need to heal and thrive.

“Care-experienced young people deserve to love and be loved by their local communities. Please welcome them with compassion, understanding, and friendship.”

The applicant will submit another application this month.

To find out more about become, visit its website here.