The second phase of a £5.6 million refurbishment of Peterborough City Council's secure children's home for young women, Clare Lodge, has been completed.

The home, in Welmore Road, Glinton, Peterborough, provides accommodation and support for 16 young women aged between 10 and 17, who are in need of care and protection within a secure environment. It is licensed by the Department of Health and is one of only two of its kind in the UK.

The government awarded £5.6 million to upgrade and improve facilities on the site in December 2006.

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The first phase included a re-fitted kitchen and laundry room and additional office space. Phase two, which has just reached completion, included a new fitness suite, medical suite and dental surgery. The reception area has also been refurbished and security has been updated at the site.

The next phase will begin early next year and will include new educational resources and modernisation of the home's 'school' and the construction of new classrooms.

Councillor Stephen Goldspink, cabinet member for education and children's services, said: "The refurbishment programme at Clare Lodge will enable us to continue to be the market leader for secure welfare accommodation to ensure that some of the most vulnerable young women in the country are given high quality support, care and protection to enable them to rebuild their lives."

(CD)