Run by the Elsie Normington Foundation in partnership with specialist service providers, the Haven Centre is Scotland’s first multi-purpose centre for children and young people with severe, profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex needs in Inverness. The provision of this new facility is central to the Foundation’s belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to lead a rich social life, access facilities where their needs are met, make new friends and enjoy life.
The contract to build the Haven Centre in Murray Road, Smithton, was awarded to Compass Building and Construction Services in December 2021. Construction work started on the site in March 2022, and the Haven Centre officially opened its doors in the summer of 2023.
The Haven Centre includes:-
- Three two-bedroom respite flats for children and young people.
- An indoor specialist play centre and outdoor play area.
- A community café.
- A community garden.
- Meeting spaces.
The Haven Centre is an inclusive, community space, where children and young adults with severe learning disabilities and complex needs are provided with opportunities to have fun, play, socialise, grow in confidence, and develop; where outcomes are improved through training, work experience and education; and where families can connect and feel supported.
Existing day services and overnight respite care in the Highlands and Islands have historically been overstretched and oversubscribed. The Haven Centre assists in meeting the ever-growing need and demand from children, young adults and their families by providing multiple, affordable, accessible services on one integrated site, including much needed respite. Currently the nearest facility of its kind is in Dundee.
