Plans have been approved for two care homes for children who need extra support with behavioural difficulties.

The homes – in Hedge Place Road in Stone and Fairway Drive in Dartford – will see a change of use for the buildings from single-house dwellings to residential institutions for several children.

The property in Hedge Place Road has seven bedrooms which will house up to four children between the ages of 10-17 with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The children will live there long-term until their 18th birthday and it would be seen as their home rather than a halfway house or emergency accommodation.

They would be expected to attend school and there would be three carers working 48-hour shifts, staying overnight, to look after the youngsters when they are at home.

The property in Fairview Drive would provide accommodation for up to four children from the age of eight to 18 who have additional learning needs and challenging behaviours, such as autism.

The children would have weekly or bi-weekly visits back home and go to educational placements during the day.

The homes would be staffed by a team working shift patterns on a one-to-one basis with each child between 3pm and 7pm, switching to just two members of staff for the night shift. Two workers will be in the house during the day to carry out cleaning tasks while the children are out.

The news comes as KCC announced the Covid crisis had a damaging effect on the number of places in children’s homes, calling for the need to create extra provision.

A spokesman for Kent County Council Strategic and Corporate Services said: "KCC aims to place children within Kent wherever possible, as long as this is in the best interest of the child.

“The recent Covid-19 crisis has led to limited availability of children's home places, and the need for regulated accommodation for complex children has been acknowledged as a strategic priority for KCC commissioned services.”