TWO East Lancashire children's homes have been closed down as Lancashire County Council starts a massive shake-up of care provision in the county.

Marsden Hall Road Home, Nelson, and Dyke Nook Resource and Reception Centre, Accrington, used for youngsters when they first came into care, have been closed, reducing the number of county care places by 16.

Both homes have already been closed on a temporary basis for 'operational reasons' but now the councillor in charge of social services, Coun Chris Cheetham, has ordered that they remain closed.

Eleven places have been 'disestablished' at Dyke Nook, and five at Marsden Hall Road.

A report to Lancashire County Council's cabinet committee states that staff employed at the centre have either been redeployed elsewhere of have retired.

Two centres on the Fylde will also close, and social services will stop using children's homes outside the county, reducing the overall number of available care places from 343 to 196. Social workers will be expected to try to find foster carers for children who would traditionally have been placed in care.

Coun Cheetham said: "For many youngsters in care, their experience of a family environment is very removed from that of most people.

"Rather than simply place them in a children's home, we want them to be placed in loving, family environments so that they do not suffer any particular disadvantages."

Nationally, children who spend long periods of time in children homes are more likely to fail exams and struggle to find well-paid work.

The remaining 15 residential units will be scaled down and altered so that there will be facilities for two staff to sleep over, rather than the traditional one.

Coun Cheetham added: "For those children for who a care place is the only option, we will strive to create something like a family environment, with only a small number of children in each unit and two members of staff working over night.

"All youngsters will have their own bathroom facilities.

"We will always need to have care places, with emergency provision still available but we want children with foster carers wherever possible."

A spokesman for Unison, which has a base inside County Hall, said no-one was available to comment on the changes.

The proposals were discussed behind closed doors at a meeting of Lancashire's cabinet, with Coun Cheetham only giving permission for details to be published by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph after staff had been informed of the changes.