A new children’s home and special school is set to open in Bransholme.
Felix House, which will create 50 or more local jobs, has been built by local care provider Cascade and will open this month.
Cascade supports children and adults living with autism, mental health conditions and learning difficulties along the road to greater independence. Felix House will support six children aged 8-18 and the school will support an additional 15.
Cascade chose Hull as the location for its next home to meet demand in the area as well as because of the company’s ties to the city. Nine teaching staff and 31 other positions have been recruited from the local area.
Victoria Smithson, Head of School at Felix House, said: “Hull has a massive need for facilities like this and being able to provide something for local children is the reason why we chose this site.”
Sonnie Rozenbroek, Director of Group and Compliance at Cascade, added: “A lot of the Cascade team are from Hull, including the CEO, so we wanted to have another home in the city and give roles to people from the local area.”
While Dean Prowell, one of the Managers at Felix House, said: “Creating positive outcomes for Hull’s children is something we have always wanted. We knew there were a lot of children who were struggling and we could help solve some of these problems if we had the right physical environment.”
Felix House Home has been designed to provide safe, appropriate and high-quality care for the children that will live there.
Facilities include six en-suite bedrooms, access to outside space and two laundries and one-to-one kitchens where children and young people can develop essential life skills. There are also two kitchens for children and staff to enjoy their meals in a homely environment and two snugs to provide additional calm, relaxing spaces.
Felix House School includes three different classrooms, each dedicated to a specific Key Stage (2,3,4) and designed for each age group’s specific learning and sensory needs.
The school facilities also include a dedicated library and computing suite, fully-equipped science and technology classroom and a calm room to help children self-regulate whenever they need time in a less stimulating environment.
Young people at Felix House will be able enjoy a large outdoor space which includes an artificial lawn, patio and decking areas, wooden gazebos and large swing.
Victoria said: “We are innovative in our approach to therapy and the curriculum we have designed, for this school, is based around a unique starting point – this home has been built to exact specifications to meet the needs of these unique children.”
Sonnie said: “We believe in therapeutic intervention and our staff – specialist teachers and teaching assistants, therapists and safeguarding nurses are all ready to go, we are looking forward to welcoming the children.”
Cascade has nine other homes, seven in East Anglia and a residential facility alongside supported living accommodation in Withernsea.
Felix House is named in tribute to Sonnie’s son Felix who passed away last year.
Sonnie said: “Felix was all about embracing and getting the best out of life and working really hard. He believed that even if you were not the best, hard work would always help you to be successful.
“These aspirations will be commemorated in Felix House.”
If you are interested in working for Cascade, please visit the website https://www.cascade-care.com/jobs
Image depicts Felix House