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Posted: May 25, 2026

Working across different fields and industries from sales to pharmaceuticals, Ruby enjoyed working but was in-search of a meaningful career, preferably supporting young children. Career Start gave her that opportunity.

Through Career Start, job seekers who want to make a positive difference to young people can qualify as a Child and Youth Care Worker. Ruby jumped at the chance for the practical learning experience while earning a wage.

Ruby now works in one of our therapeutic residential houses, creating safe and nurturing routines for care-experienced young children while supporting their emotional development.

Ruby reflects on her life before Career Start: “I’m from the Inverclyde area and always knew I wanted to work with young people. Before becoming a trainee, I worked in hospitality, pharmacy and sales – but supporting children who’ve experienced trauma was always my end goal.”

The training has been life-changing for Ruby too: “It’s so important for every young person to have an adult they feel safe with and Career Start gave me the opportunity to be that grown-up for someone.”

Playing an important role in the lives of young people is something Ruby finds truly fulfilling: “There’s no fixed routine in this job – every day is different, and I love that. The relationships you build with the young people are amazing. Communication, critical thinking and problem-solving are all key skills I’ve developed and continue to grow in this role.”

Ruby is now encouraging others to take the leap and apply: “If you’re even thinking about applying – do it. It’s an incredible opportunity. You learn so much in just one year, and it’s one of the most rewarding jobs you can have.”

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Now is the time to join Career Start and become a positive influence to care-experience young people.

FAQs about Career Start

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Allanah chose to pursue a career working with children and young people through Kibble’s Career Start Training Programme rather than become a teacher.

Career Start gives young people an opportunity to earn while training as a Child and Youth Care Worker. This caught the attention of university graduate Allanah.

After graduating from university with a degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies, Allanah initially considered a career in teaching – but a friend’s recommendation led her to apply for the 12-month, paid traineeship at Kibble instead.

Allanah explains why she decided to apply to Career Start: “I’m from the Renfrewshire area and have always wanted a job that felt meaningful and rewarding. Having worked in retail since I was 16 and spending time teaching English abroad, I knew I wanted to support young people in a more hands-on way.”

Every day is different, which Allanah enjoys: “Working at Kibble has been an incredibly enriching experience. No two days are the same. From helping with homework to planning fun activities and days out – like a recent trip to Braehead with one of the young people – it’s these everyday moments that help build trust and strong relationships.”

Photo of Allanah taken by a young person on a shopping trip.

Although Allanah acknowledges there can be challenges, she says the rewards far outweigh the difficulties: “Learning about the trauma that some young people have faced, and how that can affect their behaviour, isn’t easy. But the level of training and support we receive – as well as the sense of purpose – makes it all worthwhile. I’d encourage anyone considering a career in childcare to apply.”

Career Start is open to all and welcomes applications from those who want to make a difference to the lives of young people. No prior experience or formal qualifications are required. Trainees are supported to gain an HNC in Social Services while receiving a full-time wage based on the Scottish Living Wage, with a guaranteed interview for a permanent role on successful completion of the course.

Be Part of Our Team

Now is the time to join Career Start and become a positive influence to care-experience young people.

FAQs about Career Start

Visit Kibble Vacancies

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You can become a Child and Youth Care Worker and spend time in our fun residential children’s houses supporting care-experienced young people with our Career Start Training Programme.

Career Start welcomes applications from anyone who wants to help others. It’s a chance for people with life experience to change careers or for graduates and young adults to create a fulfilling livelihood for themselves.

Those who apply can expect to earn a living wage, gain invaluable work experience and study towards a HNC in Social Services. Upon completion, an interview to become a Child and Youth Care Worker at Kibble is guaranteed. It’s a rewarding role that brings a strong sense of purpose, alongside exceptional staff benefits and career progression opportunities.

As a Child and Youth Care Worker, you’ll make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and young adults by becoming a trusted, familiar presence. Day to day, you’ll support them with routines and activities such as attending school, enjoying hobbies and making the most of their leisure time.

Kibble supports individuals up to the age of 26 meaning your new job will offer plenty of variety. It suits people who can show commitment, flexibility and resilience.

Report writing and monitoring are also an important part of the job, helping to keep care plans up to date and ensure each person receives the best possible support.

Highly recommended by those who have completed the course. We’ve welcomed people from a wide range of backgrounds including graduates, career changers, tradespeople and parents. Many initially didn’t realise how valuable their existing skills and life experience would be in this new career.

Allanah graduated with a degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies and spent time teaching English abroad. She was considering a teaching job before deciding on our traineeship.

Ruby brought life experience from working across hospitality, pharmacy and sales.

Ryan wanted to change careers after working as a landscaper.

Julie Ann chose our traineeship to return to work after raising her own kids.

Be Part of Our Team

Now is the time to join Career Start and become a positive influence to care-experience young people.

FAQs about Career Start

Visit Kibble Vacancies

Posted: April 2, 2026

An adventurous young boy who attends Kibble’s primary school, is taking on an epic fundraising challenge to raise awareness of autism whilst raising vital funds for charity.

The incredible challenge will see our young explorer and a supportive adult from his house aim for a target of 10,000 steps a day, for eight consecutive days, to fundraise for UK Charity ‘Walk for Autism’. The duo are loving their daily walking adventures in nature and have already smashed their fundraising target.

Why We’re Walking for Autism

Across Kibble, a number of children are neurodivergent, and therefore it’s really important to us to raise awareness of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism, in order that people are supported, understood, and included in all aspects of our communities. A key part of this is to ensure young people get the care, support, education, activities, connections and opportunities that meet their overall needs, thus embracing and celebrating their individuality, communication and learning styles.

Our young walker absolutely loves the outdoors and thrives in the stillness of nature, often mimicking the sounds he hears from the birds in the trees and singing back their song. Hollie, who supports and accompanies him on his walks, recognised that this challenge would be great for him to be outside more in nature, help him to feel calm, and know he is joining a team of dedicated individuals helping people with autism live full and active lives. In addition, Hollie hopes the walks will mean he can enjoy using up the beautiful boundless energy he has that we all know and love.

In addition, Hollie hopes the walks will mean he can enjoy using up the beautiful boundless energy he has that we all know and love.

Taking Steps in Readiness

In the weeks leading up to the challenge, the pair eagerly prepared for the eight-day event. To help with this, they have been engaging in social stories so our young walker knows what to expect. This has been fantastic, and our adventurer is now sporting a new watch which tracks his daily steps in readiness for the challenge. Through their regular walks he is learning important skills including road safety, to look left and right, and to hold hands when near a road. Whilst he does not always communicate through speech, he prefers to use his incredible drawing talents to express his thoughts and feelings to others.

This is an important part of the challenge, ensuring our young fundraiser feels safe, and has structures and routines in place to help him along the way. Above all, this is his challenge, so all those around him are ready to celebrate in his achievements – both when he reaches his steps goal, and also on the days when it may feel too much. We’re all here to encourage him and help him to enjoy the experience.

Good luck to our wonderful team who are taking on this amazing challenge. They are joining an incredible community of fundraisers going the extra mile to create inclusive approaches that improve communication, understanding and access across communities for people with autism.

Posted: March 20, 2026

After months of rigorous planning, hard work and an ongoing commitment to excellence in STEM, Forest View has achieved the full STEM Nation Award from Education Scotland.

With the certificate being awarded by Education Scotland in January 2026, this makes Forest View Primary the first ASN school across Scotland’s 32 local authorities to be awarded this exemplary certification – something we are incredibly proud of.

Under the direction of STEM Lead, Susan Kinnen, and with the support of fellow education staff and pupils at Forest View, the school was recognised in all STEM award elements including:

Leadership in STEM
STEM Family Learning
Employability and STEM Partnership Working
STEM Curriculum and Learner Pathways
Equity and Equality in STEM

To receive the award, young people took part in a wide range of fun, educational experiences aligned to each of the above award elements. For Leadership in STEM, pupils threw on their rain coats and learned how to climb trees, build dens, care for animals and protect the planet.

One pupil at Forest View Primary said: “I can make waves and see how they work, and it was all using sweets!

The pupils also honed their maths skills by organising and running their own fundraiser, featuring a home baking stall, a nail bar, and a temporary tattoo parlour. With the support of parents / carers and teachers as customers, the children managed income and calculated profits, gaining practical experience in their maths learning.

Key Curricular Highlights

Perhaps one of the curricular highlights was our Bee Enterprising project. This is a very special project indeed and was made possible thanks to generous funding by The Royal Society who donated £3000 towards the project. With the support of our local bee keeper, Peter Dorrington and other colleagues, we safely established bee hives within our campus grounds, and began investigating whether the flowers available in the environment impacted the taste and colour of the honey.

The children have been fascinated by the bees, learning all about the production of honey, the hierarchy of the hive, and the pollen they forage in the environment. Using safety suits, they have been actively involved in gathering the honey, investigating the honey comb under a microscope, and we have even created our own honey jars and wax melts for a charity fayre.

Jackie Swan, Director of Education at Kibble said: “This award means a great deal to our staff and children and is a huge accolade for the school. We are committed to offering inspiring and innovative educational opportunities, and the integration of digital technology and STEM has played a vital role in bringing our vision to life.”

Hazel Gardner, Education Officer (STEM), Education Scotland said: “It is our pleasure to award Forest View with the full STEM Nation Award. This is a significant achievement for Forest View that reflects the school’s strong commitment to delivering high quality STEM education that is innovative and impactful.”

A Huge Accolade for Forest View

Achieving all STEM Nation Awards is a huge accolade for Forest View Primary, testament to the hard work and dedication of Susan Kinnen, pupils and all at Forest View. As well as learning all about STEM subjects in a fun, immersive way, pupils also established invaluable connections within the Lochwinnoch community, and gave their time to a number of community-based initiatives.

According to STEM Lead, Susan Kinnen, “This is not the end, but rather just the beginning of our journey”. We very much look forward to hearing about what’s next for our talented pupils and would like to extend our congratulations on this remarkable achievement.

Posted: March 16, 2026

Kibble’s Skills Academy launched ‘Future Ready’, an employability programme to help young people across Renfrewshire prepare for the working world.

The ‘Future Ready’ project is funded by Renfrewshire Employability Provision with Invest Renfrewshire and encourages youngsters to gain experience and qualifications at the academy.

Each month, two learners attend the academy for two weeks before completing a week of work experience. Since the project began, 10 young people have earned valuable credentials and taken a big step towards finding and sustaining employment.

There’s a full range of fun and interesting subjects for young people to get involved in. By trying out different topics, they discover what they truly enjoy and might want to pursue as a career. Time has been spent in the Painting and Decorating workshops, the Horticulture and Gardening polytunnels and Catering and Hospitality industrial kitchen space.

Meet Some of Our Future Ready Students

Meet the chef-in-the-making

Meet one of the young gardeners

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A young person discovered a talent for gardening.

The young person found enjoyment in going outside and being active, seeing their gardening projects take shape through their care, creativity and effort. Exploring plants, tools and how things grow has sparked a passion for transforming outdoor spaces.

The aspiring young gardener is looking forward to their final week’s work experience at St Mirren Football Club’s Training Complex. They’ll learn first-hand from the professional Groundskeeper and help maintain the grass and Astro-turf pitches in all weather conditions, gaining skills and experience to turn their passion for gardening into real-life experience. The young person is ready to be part of a team and see the first-team in action, making a real contribution to a premiership club.

Young people have found their time at the academy extremely fulfilling with one saying: “I couldn’t wait to see what I’d learn each day instead of the usual school routine.”

Head of The Skills Academy, Lisa Wardlaw is proud to support young people develop aspirations for their future: “The smiles from young people highlights the value of our supportive environment and practical lessons in boosting confidence, motivation and employability. ‘Future Ready’ funded by Renfrewshire Employability Provision has strengthened the of number life-changing opportunities we can offer young people.”

Head of The Skills Academy, Lisa. Photo taken by Chris James.

Through real-world placements, each young person can step confidently towards a future career.

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A young person thrived within the Catering and Hospitality lessons at The Skills Academy.

A young person interested in cooking learned the basics of working in a professional kitchen, preparing healthy meals, understanding food hygiene and making meals from scratch. The young person began to visualise herself in a career crafting meals, inventing recipes and helping fuel the team to victory and supporting the players reach success.

The learning journey continues. For the final week’s work experience placement, she will go to St Mirren Football Club’s Training Complex in Ralston and spend time within their elite kitchen facilities, alongside a close-knit team of chefs and cooks, preparing meals for the first-team squad and youth players. She will also have the responsibility of traveling there herself to give her the full experience of having a career in the industry.

Keith Lasley, Chief Operation Officer at St Mirren Football Club shared how impressed he was by the youngsters completing work experience. He said: “St Mirren Football Club wants the entire community to thrive. Our aim is to be the best community-centred football club in Scotland the partnership with Kibble means big steps can be taken to tackle youth employment across Renfrewshire.”

“We’ve welcomed young people into our catering team and their energy and enthusiasm has added real value to our hospitality operations, helping to fuel players and fans while motivating our wider team, knowing we are all working towards a bigger picture. The involvement with Kibble and the Future Ready project funded by Renfrewshire Employability Provision has added a strong altruistic element to the way we work and is in line with our pillars of Paisley, People and Performance.”

Kibble is dedicated to helping young people develop skills for learning, life and work.

Posted: March 5, 2026

The month of February was a special one on the Kibble calendar as children and adults at Hallhill Cottage celebrated their first birthday in their new home!

To mark this occasion, children chose how they wanted to celebrate. Suggestions were raised by adults at the dining table, “maybe we can throw a big party”, “we could get a bouncy castle and ice cream” … but this was not what the children had in mind. Instead, the children collectively tapped into what home means for them, and so the day consisted of a delicious continental breakfast, a trip to the swimming baths, and home for a movie night in pyjamas. What could be a more perfect day for the children to mark this special milestone.

In readiness for our birthday breakfast, children got to work on decorating party hats, whilst the adults decorated the dining room with colourful bunting with photos of the children, star garlands, birthday banners and lots of colourful balloons. The children woke up so excited about their special birthday breakfast and ran from their beds. We enjoyed delicious pancakes, croissants and pain au chocolates washed down with orange juice. Of course, no celebration would be complete without cake, and not just any cake! We received a delivery of special highland cow cupcakes and pink roses… just like our hairy four-legged neighbours that graze in the surrounding fields.

Once breakfast had settled, the children enjoyed swimming in the afternoon, then came home to settle on the sofa with a movie in their pyjamas. The children remarked at how special a day it was, proving that often the simplest of celebrations are the most treasured.

A Milestone Year at Hallhill Cottage

Since the children moved to Hallhill Cottage, we are so proud of all that they have achieved. At what can be a difficult transition for children, they embraced this and settled quickly in their new home. What was important, is that they were all together. Significant steps were made by the adults at Hallhill to make the children feel as settled as possible. This included regular trips, where the children were so excited about the house, the acres of grounds to play and the wildlife on their doorstep. We also supported the children to remain in the schools, clubs and activities attended, giving them the option over time to try local clubs and amenities if they preferred. By keeping these important routines, the children thrived and adjusted quickly to their new surroundings.

When we moved initially, one of the children was anxious about his belongings being moved without him being there. To make this easier, we helped him carefully pack the items and carry them to the car before he went to school, then he helped bring his things into the house after school. This was very important to him, and helped him to feel safe and navigate this big transition.

The children are enjoying living at Hallhill Cottage and they love being outdoors. Given the chance, they would be outdoors playing from dusk until dawn. We get regular visits from roe deer, sheep, cows, owls and other incredible birdlife. We love to observe the birds on the feeders by our kitchen window when making our coco pops. The children have also embraced the community and love to go skating, ride their bikes and visit the nearby beach.

Dan Johnson, Executive Director and lead Forensic Psychologist with the Specialist Intervention Services at Kibble, said:

“The relationships that exist between children, young people and the adults that support them is the foundation for everything that we do. It’s these genuine, trusting connections that give children the stability and confidence to adjust to change, even when this can feel very unsettling.”

Committed to Excellence

During this year, Hallhill Cottage also was also awarded an overall score of ‘6 – Excellent’ by the Care Inspectorate. The recognition from the Care Inspectorate focuses on the current care, support and residential setting provided by Kibble, with a strong emphasis on the range of supports offered to help the children transition from their existing house in Largs to Howwood.

We continue to be incredibly proud of the children, and what we have collectively achieved across the service. It Takes a Village to Raise a Child, and we are so fortunate to have an incredible team of adults, parents / carers and neighbours who all work together to create happy childhoods and bright futures for the children.

Happy Birthday Hallhill Cottage!

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Kibble celebrated its Silver Anniversary as an accredited member of Investors in People and being internationally recognised for people management and employee wellbeing.

For over 170 years, Kibble has existed to give young people a chance at life, withstanding the test of time by placing young people at the centre of all business decisions. Achievement of delivering the right support, at the right time to as many young people as possible has required a dedicated staff team, a fact that Kibble is very much aware of.

Kibble understands the workforce is the most valuable resource and strives to support each employee professionally and personally. The actions we take to empower the large staff team are recognised by Investors in People (IIP), a renowned accreditation and global benchmark awarded to organisations for demonstrating strong strategic leadership and a commitment to development their people. The IIP status reflects our focus on creating a workplace culture where people want to be, building talent pipelines and nurturing expertise, ensuring Kibble continues to evolve.

The long-standing relationship between Kibble and IIP marks an ongoing effort to invest in the workforce. The tangible ways we uphold our values of Ambition, Respect and Belonging have involved: increased recruitment, a rewarding staff benefits package, research opportunities and new partnerships. Our own model of trauma-informed care includes the component ‘Skilled and Supported Workforce’, which equips us to launch essential services and receive sector-leading results from regulatory bodies including Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland.

The framework of IIP evaluates the three key areas of: leading, supporting and improving. Kibble proudly holds Gold status while operating at the higher Platinum Level for several categories, a standard met by only 2% of the companies assessed. Kibble is leading by example in delivering continuous improvement, creating sustainable success, structuring work and living the organisation’s values and behaviours.

Kibble’s results outlined in the IIP Framework

Our mission at Kibble is to transform lives, families and communities and a greater impact is had when it’s collective effort. We’re determined to recruit and retain like-minded and ambitious individuals. We want to be known as an employer who invests in people and plan to continue strengthening our relationship with IIP.

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