States asked to approve £16m to £22m children's services hub at Raymond Falla House
- Health & Social Care seeks States approval for a new Children's Services Hub at Raymond Falla House with a budget of £16m to £22m
- The hub would consolidate services from four sites — Lukis House, Swissville, Garden Hill and Perruque House — into one modern facility
- Existing States-owned sites would be released for alternative uses, including potential housing development
- The project aims to improve access to support, strengthen professional collaboration and enable earlier intervention for families
- Housing Committee has indicated broad support, recognising the opportunity to address the island's housing needs
Health & Social Care has submitted proposals seeking approval to create a new Children's Services Hub at Raymond Falla House.
The plan would consolidate children's health, social care and family support services currently delivered from four separate sites — Lukis House, Swissville, Garden Hill and Perruque House — into a single, purpose-built facility.
The project carries a capital budget of between £16m and £22m and would see Raymond Falla House refurbished and extended to accommodate the integrated services.
By bringing services together under one roof, the existing States-owned properties would be released for alternative uses, including potential housing development. The Housing Committee has indicated broad support for the proposal, recognising the sites as valuable developable land that could help meet Guernsey's housing needs.
Under current arrangements, families often need to attend multiple locations to access support. Many of the buildings in use are ageing and present accessibility challenges, with rising maintenance costs and increasing demands for investment.
The hub model is intended to improve the experience of children and families by making support easier to access, strengthening collaboration between professionals and enabling earlier and more effective intervention.
The policy letter was submitted to the States this week. If approved, the project will move to the next stage of development, including preparation of a full business case and detailed design work ahead of delivery.
Deputy George Oswald, president of Health & Social Care, said: "The Children's Services Hub will put children, young people and families at the centre of our services' delivery.
"Many of the buildings currently used to provide children's services were not designed for the way modern services operate and are increasingly unsuitable for delivering the high-quality, integrated support that children and families deserve.
"By bringing key services together in a purpose-built environment, we can improve access to support, strengthen collaboration between professionals and create facilities that are welcoming, accessible and designed around the needs of children. The Committee sees this an investment in better outcomes for children, both now and in the future."
Deputy Steve Williams, president of the Housing Committee, said: "The Committee for Housing is pleased to support this proposal, which creates an invaluable opportunity to improve support for children and families while also contributing to efforts to address the island's housing challenges.
"By bringing children's services together in a purpose-built hub, the project could enable the release of sites for alternative uses, including the delivery of much-needed housing, while also making better use of the States' property portfolio. It is an excellent example of how strategic investment can deliver benefits across multiple policy areas."
Q&A
Q: What is the proposed budget for the Children's Services Hub?
A: The project has a capital envelope of £16m to £22m for refurbishing and extending Raymond Falla House.
Q: Which existing sites would be consolidated into the new hub?
A: Services currently delivered from Lukis House, Swissville, Garden Hill and Perruque House would be brought together at Raymond Falla House.
Q: What happens to the existing sites if the project is approved?
A: The existing States-owned sites would be released and made available for alternative uses, including potential future housing development.
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