Sunderland and South Tyneside Complex Needs Hub to open

Located in West Boldon, the new centre will serve children aged 11 to 17 from Sunderland and South Tyneside who need intensive mental health and emotional support.

The Complex Needs Hub, based at the White House on Follingsby Lane, will be the first of its kind in Sunderland and South Tyneside and among a small number operating nationally.

Councillor Michael Butler, cabinet member for children’s services, child poverty and skills at Sunderland City Council, said: “There’s currently nothing like this in Sunderland and South Tyneside, so this is a real step forward.

“This innovative project will allow us to provide much more rounded care and support to young people from Sunderland and South Tyneside with complex mental health and emotional/behavioural needs.

“This means that some of our most vulnerable young people, who would otherwise have had to be placed outside of the area, will soon be able to be cared for much closer to home and their families.”

The hub will include four specialist care beds, with two used by Together for Children Sunderland, which delivers children’s services on behalf of Sunderland City Council, and two commissioned by South Tyneside Council.

The centre is funded through a joint capital project between Sunderland City Council and the Department for Education.

Staffed by a team of 30, the home will offer round-the-clock care and is expected to create new job opportunities in the area.

Helen Monks, director for social care at Together for Children Sunderland, said: “This is about bringing support for children and young people with high emotional and mental health needs in-house.

“The new hub will allow us to take a much more personalised approach to the young people’s care, with support covering both mental and therapeutic care.

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“It will also be much more convenient for the young people and their families.”

The centre will be Ofsted-registered.

Renovation work on the site is expected to take around eight months, with the hub expected to open before the end of the year.