Mum-of-two, Michelle previously worked as a property administrator for West Dunbartonshire Council while volunteering with young people in her spare time. She decided to change her career and follow her dream of helping others by applying to Kibble’s Staff-in-Training programme.
Over the course of 12 months, Michelle studied for a HNC in Social Services and carried out in-depth work experience before qualifying as a full-time Child and Youth Care Worker. Michelle hopes her experience will inspire others similar to her to apply and work for Kibble in a rewarding role.
Michelle’s Words of Encouragement
“I was nervous about applying initially, as I have two children and I wasn’t sure how the change in pace would affect them.
“However, the staff at Kibble have been hugely supportive throughout the entire process and I found the work-life balance was easily achievable, particularly as we were offered a study day through the week.
“I would say the role is a fantastic opportunity for parents, particularly as we have so much to offer. I already have that nurturing side to me and I think that resonates with young people.
“I’m so proud to have achieved my HNC with Kibble’s support, it’s given me a real boost in confidence when I would never have believed I had the time or experience.”
Every day I learn more and more from both young people and my colleagues, but Kibble places a huge amount of emphasis on personal development.
“I’m excited to make the most of this and absorb all the information I can to become the best I can be.
Child and Youth Care Worker, Lola left the hospitality sector in 2017 to begin a career in care with Kibble and would encourage others to follow in her footsteps.
About Child and Youth Care Worker, Lola
Lola qualified as a Child and Youth Care Worker through our Career Start in Child and Youth Care training programme, which recruits people with life experience and provides full training and mentoring. Since joining Kibble in 2017, Lola has progressed her career and successfully achieved her Professional Practice Award in Mentoring SCQF level 7 qualification. The qualification will see her mentor and pass on what she has learned to her fellow colleagues.
Lola Shares Her Staff-in-Training Experience
“I moved into child and youth care from hospitality with little experience, but thankfully that didn’t matter due to the extensive and thorough training Kibble were able to provide me with.
“Kibble recruit people with all different experience as long as they have a drive to help young people.
“The essential requirement is the aspiration to support young people and provide them with a better chance at life – if you have that we will work with you to make sure you have the skills and experience to become the best carer possible.”
Career Development
The in-house Learning and Development team invest in employees gaining further qualifications and training. The hope is that by generating the most highly trained staff in the sector, we will be capable of providing young people with the support that they need.
On Thursday 25th August 2022, we were honoured to welcome Clare Haughey MSP, Minister for Children and Young People to explore our children’s houses offering close, therapeutic support.
The visit is part of a wider exploration of Scottish care providers that offer an alternative to secure care, or step-down provision, for young people who require close care and support due to complex mental health and self-harm behaviours.
As part of the visit, the Minister was welcomed by David Nairn, Chair of the Board and our Chief Executive, Jim Gillespie to find out more about Kibble’s services before visiting children’s house Bute. Here, she was met by an enthusiastic young boy who showed Ms Haughey around the house and spoke of his footballing dreams and recent sailing adventure.
Bute has been designed to create an environment which offers the opportunity for a gradual and supportive transition for young people moving on from more secure settings such as a Safe Centre and acts as an alternative to community mental health provisions. It provides high levels of support and therapeutic care for young people with complex mental health needs, which are diagnosed, emerging or suspected, and those with significant risk to themself through suicidal and self-harming behaviours.
The house offers a safe and supportive space, which is therapeutic in design, yet youthful to reflect the tastes of young people that live there. Everything from the colours of the rooms to the soft furnishings and general everyday rhythms and routines have been carefully considered to promote safety, structure and routine.
The staff at Bute are highly experienced and skilled individuals with knowledge and training in neuro-developmental disorders and work in partnership with an integrated health and specialist intervention services teams, which includes Forensic Psychologists and Specialist Looked After Children’s Nurses, as well as qualified therapists across a range of disciplines including cognitive behavioural therapy, art and play therapy, counselling and family therapy.
Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer said: “Each of the young people that we provide care for have individual needs and our care provision needs to mirror that. It is imperative that we continue to evolve our services to ensure that we have the care setting required for each of our young people so that we are able to support them within a setting which is safe and therapeutic.
“It was a pleasure to give the Minister for Children and Young People a tour around both Bute and Mossway, demonstrating the careful planning and execution involved in delivering both houses and caring for the young people who reside in each.”
Children’s Minister, Clare Haughey said: “It is vital that children and young people with complex needs get the support they need. I’d like to thank the staff at Kibble that have worked so hard throughout the pandemic in challenging conditions to maintain the support for children and young people in their care.
“We’re determined and committed to fulfilling The Promise by 2030, and this includes exploring new approaches to secure care in Scotland.”
Posted: August 25, 2022
Pupils at Kibble’s Goudie Academy researched a social issue, selected a charity helping the cause and created a presentation to showcase why their chosen charity deserved to receive a grant.
What is the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)?
The Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), funded by The Wood Foundation, is a citizenship programme, which empowers students to make a difference in their community through local grant-giving, while developing important skills including teamwork, research and competitiveness.
Our Participation
Kibble’s Goudie Academy delivered YPI and in class, pupils learnt about different social issues before being put into groups to select a problem affecting their area, that they wanted to help resolve. The next stage was to research charities working towards their chosen cause before creating a team presentation on why their preferred charity deserved to receive a grant.
Each group met with charities through an online video-call and interviewed the kind-hearted individuals working to make a difference to the community. Young people asked questions and gathered information about the charity, what it takes to keep it running and the impact it has on people living in the local area. They were able to find out specific details about the charity and use the insight to create a thorough, heartfelt and accurate description of all the charity’s achievements day-to-day. The presentations effectively highlighted why the charity was important and how a £3K grant would be spent and the significant impact the donation would have on tackling an apparent, key social issue.
The Final
The two charities which made it to our Goudie Academy final were Darkwood Crew and Respect Me. Darkwood Crew is based at the Tannahill Centre in Ferguslie Park with the aim of ‘helping Ferguslie flourish’ by focusing on food security, fuel poverty, isolation and loneliness, mental health positivity, and the local environment. Respect Me is Scotland’s anti-bullying service and has the vision of a respecting, equal and inclusive Scotland, supporting children and young people to live free from bullying.
Our final was attended by members of the charities and representatives from YPI. Young people produced outstanding video presentations for the judging panel to review and decide who deserved the grant.
The final decision was made with Darkwood Crew being awarded £3K and Kibble generously donating £1K to Respect Me. The money was donated in July and upon returning to school, pupils were keen to hear if their donation has helped.
The Impact
Darkwood Crew have shared that the £3K donation has had a great impact so far. The financial support helped them restock their Community Market, which offers food support by providing £15 worth of shopping every Thursday to those who need it.
Darkwood Crew Community Development Worker, Terry McTernan said: “The money received has helped us fully restock our Community Market in an attempt to help navigate the cost-of-living crisis in the coming months. We are expecting an uptake in demand, so this has helped us prepare and is a very welcome addition to our toolbox.
“We are extremely grateful to have been awarded such a large sum of money and would like to take this time to emphasise the benefits this will bring to many across our community.”
Alex Reid, YPI Scotland Delivery Lead was thankful to the pupils of Kibble: “Your efforts for YPI have been nothing short of incredible and inspirational this year in very difficult circumstances. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the programme.”
“Our pupils strongly believe no one should go hungry and were determined to do what they could to help make sure families could get themselves good food.
“Young people of Kibble are extremely proud that their efforts have had a direct impact on people looking for help and are keen to continue fundraising for causes that will help the local community.”
Audrey Baird, Executive Director of Kibble
‘Cheque’ it out The Darkwood Crew received £3K
YPI is the flagship initiative of The Wood Foundation’s ‘Developing Young People in Scotland’ portfolio of activities.
Posted: August 9, 2022
Last week a group of budding young footballers put their best foot forward for the annual Street Soccer Care Cup 2022. Run by Who Cares? Scotland, a national organisation for care experienced people, the highly anticipated event brought together young people with care experience from across Scotland to take part in the soccer tournament.
Against the backdrop of the Glasgow Powerleague arena, eleven excited youngsters and seven staff at Kibble donned their school football strips representing Goudie and Mirin Academy. The day kicked off at 10am where everyone took part in a quick warm up and stretching session, ahead of the first matches at 11am. There were 20 teams in total, with young people at Kibble forming three of these: ‘The Grasshoppers’, ‘Inter troops’ and the perhaps the less assured ‘No Clue’. We think the kids may have been referring to the staff players here!
From the moment the whistle blew at 11am, it was nonstop fun… with a fair bit of competition thrown in. There was a real mix of ages taking part, and all demonstrated incredible sportsmanship with their support of others in their own and opposition teams. The atmosphere was incredible as the teams took part in a series of play-offs throughout the day, amalgamating in a prolific match final. Of course, everyone who took part was a winner, but it was the Inter troops team at Kibble that proudly lifted the trophy in their division.
Everyone who took part in the event raved about it and are already talking about next year. The camaraderie, support and moral within the teams was incredible and the atmosphere was electric. New friendships were made, some were rekindled from years gone by, but overall, this was an event that celebrated inclusion and belonging. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Who Cares? Scotland for organising this fantastic event, which has become a firm favourite on the Kibble calendar. Well done to everyone who took part, and we’ll see you on the pitch next year.
“It’s been good to get out on an activity and play with the rest of the boys.”
“I’ve enjoyed it. The best part has been getting to play proper football. I was the goalkeeper for my team and I made a few saves.”
“It’s been good to get out on an activity and play with the rest of the boys.”
“It was a good day out. I enjoyed myself and I got to see my old staff too. I’d like to come again next year”.
Posted: August 8, 2022
Young people at Kibble are the club’s new Ball Attendants for the season, with the volunteering hours counting towards their Saltire and Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Since 2020, Kibble part-own St Mirren with a 27.5% stake in the local club along with its fans and the St Mirren Independent Supporters Trust (SMISA). Our partnership with the league team combines our youth-centred, educational and commercial expertise with St Mirren’s own first-class sporting facilities and profile.
Through the collaboration, we can offer a steady stream of valuable work and life experience to young people, giving them the opportunity to learn within a real, thriving business that caters to around 5,000 avid football supporters through its turnstiles at each match. Young people are given training and experience within front of house roles through these placements, working within the hospitality suites, in addition to learning about maintenance of the facilities and supporting the needs of the Scottish Premiership club.
The new Ball Attendant position puts the young people at the heart of the game – an incredibly exciting opportunity for those involved. The experience has increased confidence levels massively as young people have felt a sense of achievement and are on-track to gain the prestigious Saltire and Duke of Edinburgh Awards (DofE).
By accomplishing the awards and succeeding in the high-profile voluntary position, young people build skills and self-esteem, ultimately helping motivate them to set future aspirations and believe in themselves.
“I’m looking forward to being involved in the action at the games. It’s great to be part of a Premiership Football team and to learn more about what happens behind the scenes at the club. Not many would get the chance to call this work.”
One young person taking on the role of Ball Attendant
Jim Gillespie, CEO of Kibble and Board director at St Mirren FC, said: “We have been working in tandem with St Mirren FC since the partnership began to develop fresh ways to offer our young people the opportunity to learn and grow within a thriving local business. The Ball Assistant roles are an ideal way to not only help them gain this experience, but also encourage engagement and capture interest from the young people involved.
“Through each of the initiatives created with St Mirren, we strive to give our young people the chance to try something new, providing real value to their lives and futures, in addition to strengthening links with the local community and supporting the St Mirren team in the long run.”
Keith Lasley, COO of St Mirren FC, said: “This is an excellent initiative for the young people at Kibble to experience the buzz of match days at St Mirren, whilst earning valuable volunteering hours. It showcases the partnership between Kibble and St Mirren, and allows us to develop further opportunities to make a difference to the future of young people.
Jim Gillespie, CEO of Kibble, and Keith Lasley, COO of St Mirren
Posted: July 25, 2022
Kibble is helping young people prepare to live independently and thrive in their own home with support from a Nationwide Community Grant.
The thought of moving forward into employment and living alone can be daunting. Suddenly having the sole responsibility to manage finances, maintain a job, cook and have a social life can feel overwhelming. Many individuals face this milestone with guidance from family and friends. However, for others, there can be a lack of support as a result of facing adversity and trauma from a young age.
Kibble, with funding from Nationwide, is helping care-experienced young people live independently and enjoy having their own home. The funding has enabled Kibble to deliver the SQA Level 4 Successful Tenancy award, which is specifically designed to prepare learners to live safely themselves and encourage them to explore and be part of their local area. The qualification equips young people with the skills and knowledge needed to start the process as well as maintaining living alone while preventing isolation.
Our Employability and Tenancy Officer, Gillian Tod offers a helping hand to young people, ensuring they receive a high level of support with personal finance, cooking, gaining employment and more. Young people have access to valuable support that can help them create a safe space to call their home and live a healthy lifestyle. The responsibilities of living independently are made manageable through Gillian’s advice and encouragement. Young people develop self-esteem, self-confidence and look positively towards the future.
Finding employment for young people is a priority of the project. Assistance with CV writing, interview preparation and linking young people to jobs and placements all help young people to start working. The opportunity to gain work experience, begin a job and earn money creates a sense of purpose and helps form friendships. Overall, contributing to a happy and healthy home life.
Kibble held a job fair for young people to learn more about the career opportunities available to them. Local businesses were invited to discuss their professions in more detail. Young learners were inspired by a range of organisations including National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland (NMIS), West College Scotland, Howden and more.
Employability and Tenancy Officer, Gillian Tod has seen a change since the project began. She said, “Young people have made such progress in living independently, finding a job they enjoy and earning money since the project began. We recognise it is challenging to make the first step in applying for a job and then continue with the responsibilities of working while having your own home, however, there is a high level of support available to help young people see it through, feel a sense of achievement and plan for a brighter future.”
“One young person in particular has started plans for the future, expressing interest in learning more about saving with hopes of applying for a mortgage one day.”
Employability and Tenancy Officer, Gillian Tod
Nationwide Paisley Branch Manager, Ronnie Girvan shared, “We are delighted to hear about the value the funding is bringing to the lives of young people who are living independently. The Nationwide Paisley branch will offer further support to young people by hosting learning sessions about how to save and how to apply for a mortgage. We will do all that we can to help young people develop skills in finance management.”
Moving forward, the project will continue to strengthen the confidence levels of young people, ensuring they are capable to maintain independent living throughout the future.
Posted: July 15, 2022
Posted: July 15, 2022
In her blog, Dr Helen Bratton, Consultant Clinical Psychologist from the Interventions for Vulnerable Youth (IVY) service explains the role of formulation to understand young people’s experiences and inform possible interventions.
What is Formulation?
A psychological formulation can be seen as a tool used to bring theory and practice together into a shared narrative of a person’s experience, providing a framework for understanding and possible intervention. Formulation helps us to make links between what has happened to a person and how they may be presenting in the here and now. It provides an understanding of how all areas of their life have an impact on them and how they try to cope. It helps us to consider the function of challenging behaviours and to consider helpful solutions.
Psychologists use their knowledge of several theories to understand how a person’s current difficulties are related to their past experiences and how the problems are being maintained. We consider biological, psychological, social and systemic factors when gathering information for a formulation. A formulation is not diagnostic in nature, it is dynamic and incorporates theory alongside beliefs, thoughts, feelings, interpretations and reflections. To be purposeful, a formulation needs to be meaningful.
How does IVY use Formulation?
Formulation helps to identify unmet needs, maladaptive coping and unhelpful patterns in a person’s life. Using this information, we can focus on the most appropriate areas for intervention. A formulation should be open to amendment in light of new information or a change in circumstances. This is particularly true in the life of children and young people whose lives can change quickly as they are going through a period of rapid growth and development.
At IVY we use formulation in all three types of service that we offer. Within consultations we use the information provided by teams to generate a psychological understanding of the young person, their world, the systems around them and their risk related behaviours. When we undertake Type 2 risk assessments, we build on the initial formulation to consider the risk related behaviours in more detail and to shape risk management recommendations. In Type 3 interventions we use the initial formulation to guide our treatment plan and will amend and adapt our understanding as we go, integrating new information.
If you want to learn more about how we use formulation, please contact ivy@kibble.org
Posted: June 20, 2022
Last week a group of avid seafarers took to Scotland’s high waters for a three-day sailing voyage with Ocean Youth Trust Scotland. The nine-strong crew included five excited young people from Kibble’s Goudie Academy alongside teachers and care staff who came aboard for the once-in-a-lifetime experience where fun, and adventure prevailed from sunrise to sunset.
The crew set off with waves and cheers from their classmates before making their way to the dock at Inverclyde. Of course, no oceanic adventure would be complete without a proper royal Navy send-off… queue Kibble’s very own Chris McDonald who dusted off his freshly pressed white sailor suit for the special occasion.
Time to Set Sail
Once aboard it was all hands-on deck for a full health and safety briefing, lessons on how to use a life jacket, learning the knots, sails and the orientation of the boat. With everyone fully briefed, it was time to set sail! One of our enthusiastic young sailors safely cruised us out of safe harbour with the first stop on the map… Dunoon. As we made our way out to sea there was much excitement as we sailed past Scotland’s infamous Paddle Steamer ‘The Waverley’. To make our presence known we formed a Mexican wave and cheered as we continued our journey to the Holy Loch and a quick stop off at the swing park.
After being eaten alive by midges, it was back on board to prepare for dinner. This evening’s menu was a delicious veggie chilli followed by trifle which pupils challenged themselves to eat sans spoon… or hands! Once we shook off the giggles and chocolate sprinkles, we consulted the map to see our progress that day and plan our sail the following day. After a day of fresh air and excitement, it had certainly taken the wind out of our sails. We cosied into our cabin beds and were rocked off to sleep with a bedtime story.
Nature at Play
As the sun rose on a brand-new day, we were greeted by the sight of playful porpoises and seals. After a hearty breakfast, it was time to hoist up the sails and head in the direction of Bute towards Rothesay. With the anchor firmly down at the end of a successful day of navigating the tide, it was time for some fun and games. We got into teams and had a competition on who could sail around the boat on a dinghy the fastest – it’s safe to say that Jackie’s team weren’t going to be winning any gold medals here! That evening we tucked into delicious halloumi wraps before sailing to Inverkip to search for feisty crabs among the rocks. As the stars came out, we cosied into our cabins and gently drifted off to sleep with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Sailing Back to Bay
Today was the final day of our three-day voyage and we weren’t quite ready for our adventure to come to an end. We set sail back towards Greenock where we worked hard on the dock side to scrub the deck, polish the brass, clean the windows and ensure that the boat was left as clean as tidy as we had found it. Many of the crew had a VIP event at school to celebrate the achievements of the class of 2022. As we stepped off the boat back onto terra-firma, we tried to shake off our sea legs as we made our way back to school to get ready for the summer festival inspired leavers ceremony.
Whilst the sun had set on our three-day voyage, it was only the start of our seafaring adventures as we head off for a five-day sail in September. We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Ocean Youth Trust for making our voyage so special, and of course, to our young sailors whose vigour and energy made our hearts swell.
Posted: June 7, 2022
Last week young people from Goudie and Mirin Academy enjoyed a special musical performance by talented musicians from the RSNO ahead of their highly anticipated concerto ‘Our Gilded Veins’ at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
Whilst many young people’s Spotify playlists tend to have more Rhianna than RSNO, the performance by principal flautist Katherine Bryan, supported by renowned Scottish composer Jay Capperauld, left everyone in awe. In particular, young people were visible impressed with the rendition of David Bowie’s infamous ‘Life on Mars’ and learning how classical orchestra is often featured in many of the computer games and films they knew of.
Our Gilded Veins is a new original piece which draws parallels to the challenges of mental health, and how opening ourselves up to others can bring real positives. It relates to the Japanese art of Kintsugi where objects that have once been fractured are slowly mended with gold to make something more beautiful, symbolic of a pathway to healing. It is a metaphor for embracing flaws and imperfections.
Kibble has a longstanding connection with the RSNO and in previous years young people have enjoyed taking part in various workshops at their Glasgow base, including the week-long ‘Paisley Takeover’. In addition to the workshops, young people have also been involved backstage, learning all about stage management and lighting.
Chris Macdonald, Music Teacher at Kibble said:
“Seeing young people so enthralled by the short performance at Kibble was incredible. When they learned that much of the classical orchestra music was featured in computer games they played regularly, or recent films they have watched left them gobsmacked. Opportunities like this really help the kids expand their musical tastes and appreciate other genres”.
The RSNO’s performance of Our Gilded Veins opened on Friday 3rd June at the capital’s Usher Hall. Young people at Kibble were sent a live link to Saturday’s final concerto to see it all come to life on stage with the full orchestra. We’d like to say a huge thank you to RSNO for treating us to a sneak preview and look forward to exploring new opportunities in the future.
“Seeing young people so enthralled by the short performance at Kibble was incredible. When they learned that much of the classical orchestra music was featured in computer games they played regularly, or recent films they have watched left them gobsmacked. Opportunities like this really help the kids expand their musical tastes and appreciate other genres”.
