At every opportunity, Lindsay puts 100% effort into making sure young people she cares for feel happy, safe and optimistic.
Child and Youth Care Worker, Lindsay works within one of our residential children’s houses in Glasgow, supporting teenagers as they learn to become more independent. Lindsay’s enthusiasm for celebrating seasons, occasions and happy moments has encouraged young people to become more open-minded in creating their own festive traditions.
At Christmas time, Lindsay and the close-knit staff team carefully consider young people’s thoughts and feelings about the demanding time of year. The entire team try to prevent young people from becoming overwhelmed with decorations, emotional strain, hectic plans and disrupted routines. Amongst the noise of Christmas, young people are very much listened to and decide how to have fun.
Lindsay, prides herself on enthusiastically celebrating each small to big achievement. She is nicknamed, Mrs Christmas and has four trees in her own home. Her positive attitude paired with respecting the feelings of others has encouraged the teenagers to start their own traditions. By showing empathy, Lindsay has helped young people understand they can get involved with the merriment at their own pace and comfort level.
Lindsay is proud of young people for decorating the house together.
The excitement and dedication to creating happy moments has inspired young people to put up a Christmas tree in the living room and outdoor twinkling lights. Young people also decided on trips to the cinema, Irn-Bru Carnival and Glasgow Christmas Market. Memories have been made in the house with young people and adults spending time altogether.
Lindsay and young people put up a tree.
Outdoor lights make the house look festive.
Lindsay shares a further insight into the day-to-day life and how Christmas fits in: “My week usually involves motivating young people to achieve their goals. It can be to attend college, explore education options and learn to budget. Overall, help young people develop independence and capable of one day living themselves in their own house. Most of all, we try to have lots of fun. We cook new things to try, watch TV, play boardgames, there’s always music on and sometimes, there’s dancing around the living room. The house is lived in with plenty of laughter, Scottish sarcasm and humour.”
“On Christmas Day, there’s the option of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and for those who prefer something different for dinner, we might splash out on a takeaway.”
“Over Christmas and New Year, we’re getting into cooking and baking and plan to make a homemade fabulous Ferrero Rocher cheesecake. Hopefully, young people are up for joining in with karaoke.”
As a Child and Youth Care Worker at Kibble, there is an understanding the job role is a career, which involves being on-hand at all times of the year: “Working in any care environment can involve working through the holidays. We have a great team who work together and create a plan for young people to have consistency and for adults to enjoy time at home too. Each one of us understands the importance of giving our young people a special day in a fun and loving environment.”
Lindsay would describe Christmas at Kibble as being special: “Christmas allows us all to bring out our inner child. There’s a thrill in the small things like decorating the tree, treating the kids to a little more than usual and planning day trips. The houses in our cul-de-sac always go to a great effort to decorate making it lovely to drive in at night. In the day time, we receive visits from our woodland friends including squirrels and deer. Just a few weeks ago, we took lovely photos of the animals in the snow. It’s such a cosy and peaceful place to be.”
Lindsay knew she wanted to make a difference to the lives of young people and particularly wanted to build a career at Kibble: “My decision to move to Kibble was to have a positive impact on the life of others. I wanted to help young people to achieve the education and life skills necessary for a positive future in adulthood. I researched Kibble and found the organisation had a range of support services for their young people and also invested in their employees too. Kibble help the staff team expand their knowledge, which allows us to strengthen our ability to do our job well and be the best we can be for the kids.”
“The training and development opportunities were a huge factor for me as I love to learn and push myself to excel. One thing many don’t know is that I applied to Kibble twice before I got the job. I was eager and knew I’d get there. The first time I applied, I didn’t reach the interview stage. I decided to not let it get me down and instead, gain a similar job role in care to increase my experience and build on my knowledge. Next time Kibble were recruiting, I was prepared and got the job! It all worked out in the end.”
Her focus has always been to bond with young people: “I find fulfilment in building relationships with young people across our houses. Each have unique personalities: some are natural born comedians; some are creative; and some are wonderfully gifted with other impressive talents.”
All throughout the year, Lindsay and her colleagues bring magic to the lives of young people by making sure the house is fun, safe and peaceful and somewhere, they can be themselves.
