Families 'devastated' at closure of Rotherham's Thurnscoe House SEN residential centre
Video repor by Lisa Adlam
Parents of children with special educational needs say they are "devastated" after being told a specialist residential facility will close within weeks.
Thurnscoe House, at the Robert Ogden School, near Rotherham, is one of the region’s only respite centres providing round-the-clock support for young people with complex needs.
Parents were told at the beginning of July that it would close in four weeks' time, without consultation.
The National Autistic Society, which runs the service, said it had made the decision with "sadness and regret".
The charity said financial pressures had forced it to make "many tough decisions".
Nineteen-year-old Logan Robinson, who uses the service, said it had taught him "so many life-skills" and he would be "lost without it".
He said: "If it wasn't for the staff helping me learn how to make a sandwich, how to make a bed in the morning, how to deal with my emotions, I don't think I'd be in the position that I'm in now."
Logan's mother Amanda Robinson said the sudden closure would drive "families and children back into crisis point".
She said: "I genuinely believe that he would not be the young man he is today, if it wasn't for the care and attention that he had through the residential facility."
Pete Scott-Thompson, whose son uses the residential services, said he is "absolutely devastated" and that he doesn't know what the family would have done without it.
He said: "Without that respite Eddie wouldn't have been able to stay in the family home with how his autism presents sometimes."
Caroline Stevens, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, said: "We are deeply sorry to confirm that we are proposing to close Thurnscoe House, our residential provision at Robert Ogden School, and find a buyer for our nearby 52 week children’s home, Clayton Croft.
"We are currently working with families, local authorities and our staff on the next steps around this.
"As a provider, we do not operate at a scale in this area that enables us to continue to provide the quality of service that we expect and demand, and also that the children and young people deserve.
“We had to make difficult decisions when setting our budget for 2023/24 to ensure that the organisation did not incur further financial losses.
“It is with deep sadness and regret that we have taken this incredibly difficult decision, and we know this will be worrying for staff and the families we support. Our priority is to support those groups as we navigate this period of change.”
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