Special needs children could be housed at Muirton Boys Home - CDA

CEO of the Child's Development Agency( CDA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, said there are consideration to use the recently renovated childcare facility, Muirton Boys Home, in Manchioneal Portland to house special needs children.

Gage-Grey said that an announcement will be made as soon as all the plans are finalised.

"We are still in the planning process because we have to work with other agencies like the Ministry of Education, and the Disability Foundation," Gage-Grey told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Since it was first opened, the facility is being used to house boys and according to Gage-Grey, the facility will continue to do so when it reopens at the end of the summer.

"Boys are going back there but we will decide which boys, whether boys with intellectual disabilities or not," Gage-Grey said.

The Muirton Boys Home sits on top of a hill overlooking the Manchioneal Bay and its fishing activities.

"It's a very tranquil location and we found that boys who were previously housed there did well," Gage-Grey said.

When asked whether the location was factor in considering to use it to house intellectual disabled children, she said: " I think when we review our overall offerings within the residential sectors, we look at where we have the greatest need and where we need to do some rearrangement in terms of how we are doing our placement. So we look at it in terms of all the facilities that we have and which ones are better able to house what category of children."

Gage-Grey believes even if girls are placed in the facility they would do well.

The boys who previously lived at the facility were transferred to other facilities around the island or sent home for the summer holiday, according to a person who works there.