New Children’s Home Opens near Bodmin to Support Young People with Disabilities

A new children’s home has opened near Bodmin to provide a safe and supportive place for young people with disabilities who are in crisis.

Cardinham Barns Opens Its Doors

Cardinham Barns is set within tranquil woodland and offers a nurturing environment for children facing complex challenges, whether due to issues at home, mental health difficulties, trauma or other reasons.

The home features a games room, cosy living room, modern kitchen and spacious bedrooms. Young people can stay for up to 12 months before moving back home, to foster care, or in some cases to another children’s home, with the help of trauma-informed staff.

An outreach programme is also being run to support families directly, helping children develop communication, independent living skills and healthy sleep routines in their own homes.

Call for More Staff

The home is currently recruiting more Crisis Residential and Outreach Workers so it can extend its support. An open day will be held on Tuesday 9th September at 11am for those interested in finding out more. Anyone wishing to attend can contact cardinham.barns@cornwall.gov.uk.

Cllr Hilary Frank, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Schools, said:
“We are delighted that Cardinham Barns is now open and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has made it a reality.
“As a local authority, we have a responsibility to provide a safe, supportive and loving environment for children and young people in crisis, to give them stability and help them begin to build a bright future.
“We are now looking for more staff to join the team and I would encourage anyone with experience who wants to make a real difference to children’s lives to come along to our open event.”

“An Incredible Facility”

Cllr Leigh Frost, Leader of Cornwall Council and local member for Bodmin St Petroc, added:
“I was blown away when I visited Cardinham Barns last week, it’s an incredible facility. We have a lot of young people who are in crisis so the support this home offers is much needed.
“It’s not just a legal duty, we have a moral duty to our children and young people to give them the best start in life and it doesn’t matter what their background is, if they need that help up we’re here to help and support them. That’s our job and that’s why places like this are so important.”

Outdoor Space and Support

The woodland location gives children the chance to take part in outdoor activities with staff support. The peaceful setting is expected to particularly benefit young people with autism.

Matt Pearce, Home Manager at Cardinham Barns, explained:
“To do this job you need to genuinely care and you need a genuine passion for changing children’s lives, because that’s what we’re here to do.
“The children here are going to be with us because they’re in crisis, something isn’t going well for them, and that’s going to be a difficult process for the child and there’s going to be things that challenge the adults who are caring for them too. But that’s why we do the job – to make a crucial difference in these young people’s lives.”

Staff Share Their Experiences

Crisis Residential and Outreach Worker Beth Hawke said:
“The best part of the job for me is working with the kids, 100 per cent. Even if it’s a short space of time that you’re with them it’s watching them develop. We had a young lad in recently and the amount of confidence he built, the smiles, the energy, was wonderful to see.
“It’s also about the team. You definitely develop a very close-knit team, obviously in the sense of your professional relationships, but it also does feel like a little family here and that’s a nice feeling.”

Her colleague Sarah Starr added:
“I agree. It can be challenging, it can be exhausting, it can be frustrating, but those moments when you first gain that trust, when they first hold your hand, when you see that you’re making that difference, when you see that breakthrough, that’s what’s most important.”

Cornwall’s Network of Children’s Homes

Cornwall Council already has three other registered children’s homes in the county. One provides residential short breaks and two offer long-term residential care.

📷Cardinham Barns children’s home near Bodmin.