The Council is set to invest in a new respite centre for Edinburgh youngsters who have additional support needs.
The £2.438m centre, which will be built on part of the former Lismore Primary School site, will provide regular short breaks for young people aged from 5-17 years olds as well as an outreach care at home service.
Seaview will cater for up to 60 children and their families, and will provide a living and sleeping area and specially designed sensory garden. The new centre will replace the Seaview Children’s Respite Centre in Portobello which has reached the end of its useful life. The building will have more space, better access, better facilities both indoors and out and, importantly, a level surface where wasn’t one before.
City Education Leader Cllr Marilyne MacLaren said:-“I am delighted that after waiting for over seven years for a new centre, this administration is able to announce a purpose-built facility that will be able to provide essential respite care for children with profound disabilities from across the city.
“The centre is vital for families exhausted by demanding care routines but who need to be assured that their youngsters are cared for in a safe and stimulating environment.
“We will fully involve staff and carers in the design of the centre so that it can become a genuine home from home. I am also very pleased that we’ll be able to increase capacity so that even more families can access the support that they need.”
Plans for the centre will be considered a the Council’s Policy and Strategy Committee on 18th January. If agreed, work on the site is expected to begin in spring 2012, with completion in early summer 2013.
Seaview is a residential care service providing regular short breaks for children aged 5-17 with a range of learning and/or physical disabilities.
Lismore Primary School closed on 20 November 2008. The total Lismore Primary School site area measures 2.4 acres.
The current residential centre site at Seaview is 0.426 acres, with the proposed new residential site area measuring 1.02 acres.
