Skye is an intensive support unit that accommodates eight young people aged between the ages of twelve and sixteen.
Skye looks after young people who have had traumatic events in their lives. The unit specialises in working with young people who have been involved in offending behaviours; who display patterns of extreme behaviour and maybe involved in drug/substance misuse. These young people may have been involved or witnessed abusive relationships and display the effects of trauma, loss and separation. The staffing ratio is 1:2 and there are a number of specialist intervention programmes available. The Social Education Team within Kibble facilitates the delivery of specialist programmes working closely and in collaboration with unit staff. In addition, psychologically based assessments are completed on admission to identify the needs and risks of these young people.
At these times of crisis and stress, the structure and staffing levels of the intensive support unit provide young people with a stable, therapeutic and safe living environment. This culture allows staff to work with the young person on addressing some of the issues identified during the referral process.
Within the unit there is a full time staff group of twelve residential child and youth care workers. Annualised hours, part-time, sessional and domestic staff complement this core group of workers.
Our aim is to provide a high level of service, which not only embraces but operates to the principles outlined in the National Care Standards. We aim to:
Skye unit enjoys a particularly close working relationship with its sister unit Clyde. Clyde is a mainstream unit. As young people progress in their placement and are assessed as requiring less support they can undertake a planned internal transfer from Skye to Clyde. This is in line with our ethos of “step down step out,” which we hope would be representative of a young person's journey along the continuum of care offered at Kibble Education and Care Centre.
By creating a therapeutic living environment and a well-trained and experienced staff team to work with young people in crisis, it is hoped that their behaviours will change through participation in specialist intervention and group work programmes. Undoubtedly, the aim is to ensure that their time and experiences of residential care are positive and provide them with the skills to become successful and confident members of society.