News

Trauma experts from all corners of the globe gathered in the city of Glasgow in May to attend the annual EFeCT Symposium hosted by Kibble. The European conference which focuses on best practice for children’s mental health and wellbeing services was an overwhelming success. Delegates from the Netherlands, Germany, Norway Portugal, Belgium, Romania, Hungary, USA and Australia attended the three-day event to hear from experts in the field of trauma-informed care.

As this is the second time Kibble has hosted the EFeCT event, there was an opportunity to create a learning environment, bringing to the table our approaches and sharing them with global counterparts and vice versa. Representing Scotland’s care sector is of the upmost honour for Kibble, and as we are very much focussed on trying to lead with a trauma informed approach this particular EFeCT conference was invaluable to our practice. The keynote speakers created excellent discussions structured around the 3 pillars of the trauma informed model: safety, connections and coping, as well as creating a connection between young people and professionals in regard to harnessing lived experiences.

Global EFeCT members also got the chance to delve into Kibble’s Scottish heritage with some whisky tasting at the evening dinner, held at the prestigious Merchants House. Delegates were also greeted by a young piper and there was even some impromptu ceilidh dancing for good measure! This was a great way to connect with the global counterparts where all members toasted in their nation’s language. Overall the EFeCT conference was an outstanding success and showed that Kibble are continuing to put their best foot forward.

An enthusiastic group of children and staff from Kibble’s Arran Villa took on the mighty Kiltwalk challenge to show support for Who Cares? Scotland. The group joined a record breaking 13,000 people walking the scenic route to raise funds for hundreds of great causes.

The team of four excited young kids and seven adults donned their tartan kilts, trainers and their big smiles to take on the Wee Wander – a six mile stretch from Levengrove Park to Balloch. They were among 1000 people supporting Who Cares? Scotland – child and youth care advocacy charity supporting care experienced young people. High praise has has been given by all across Kibble and the kids will be coming round the campus asking staff to give what they can for this worthwhile cause.

There may have been a few blistered toes as the young group made their way along the route but the encouragement amongst all the tartan clad walkers kept spirits high. Along the way the kids were elated when they met all the furry mascots, patted dogs in tartan jackets and even spotted deer swimming in the loch trying to catch a glimpse of the action!

As the finish line came into sight, the group held hands and crossed the line together. Recognition of a great achievement and the importance of teamwork. Queue shiny medals, pipers, highland dancing and puffy candy floss, and the celebrations got into full swing. It was a fantastic day of achievements, friendships and happy memories. We’re now on the countdown to next year’s Kiltwalk and the next charity challenge – go team Kibble!

Multi-award-winning chef and MasterChef: The Professionals Champion 2016, Gary Maclean visited Kibble Safe Centre last week (26 April) to talk to staff and young people about how to make the most of locally sourced, healthy and affordable food. The Safe Centre supports young people aged 12-18, many who have experienced trauma, and are at risk of harming themselves or others.

The talk and cooking demonstration were delivered as part of Scotland’s Good Food Nation ambitions which aims to promote access to, and understanding of, the benefits of healthy local foods. Scotland’s National Chef Gary cooked up a storm and presented young people and staff with chilli pesto pasta and chocolate fondant pudding to sample. For some, it was the chance to try new foods, with one young person commenting on the unusual colour of the pasta – it was green pesto. Everyone agreed the food was delicious and plates were soon cleared. There was also time for young people to chat to Gary and find out more about how he first discovered his culinary talents and how his love for cooking has taken him all over the world.

He then moved on to a ‘masterclass menu’ session with the catering staff at the Safe Centre who cook for the young people each day, as well as the home economics teachers who ensure healthy meal prep is embedded within education.

Claire Lunday, Depute Head of Education at Kibble, said: “Of course when you are providing care for young people, the most pressing factor is ensuring that the individual is safe and happy but it’s also extremely important to prepare them for a healthy future when they leave care.

“It was great to have Scotland’s National Chef Gary Maclean at our Safe Centre to deliver a positive message to the young people that live there, inspiring them to think not only about fresh and healthy cooking, but the different options available to them when they leave care.”

Gary said: ‘It was fantastic to be at Kibble today and meet the people there. It is clear they do fantastic work. Speaking to the group and talking to them about food and cooking really brought out their enthusiasm and interest, and I hope I helped them understand how easy it is to eat good quality, healthy food.

“The reality is that no matter what young people go on to do, they’ll need to learn the skills to do so. It’s vital that we’re allowing them to try and test different industries to increase employability and enhance their future.”

Siblings Day originated in America in 1998 and it’s now celebrated around the world on 10th April each year. It acknowledges the strong bond that brothers and sisters often share. Kibble Shared Living Foster Care recognises the importance of this unique relationship and that’s why we try, if circumstances allow, to keep brothers and sisters together.

Shared Living offers foster care placements for children and young people (aged 5+) who have faced adverse childhood experiences and multiple placement breakdowns. It provides a family home for young people who need intense levels of support and whose needs are best met in a small, family environment. Foster carers and young people are closely supported by our qualified, experienced key workers who are there for them 24/7. Funded by the Scottish Government and the ESF Social Innovation Fund, the initiative is a collaboration between Kibble, University of Strathclyde, CELCIS, Who Cares? Scotland and The Fostering Network.

Launched in December 2018, we have so far supported four young people including two brothers whose lives changed drastically when their dad passed away and the family struggled to cope with their loss. The brothers began to abscond from school, turned to substances and were known to the police. Shared Living Foster Care support has given the brothers the safety, structure and stability they need to move forward. Along with the support of their mum, the boys are making great progress. Their confidence is beginning to grow, and they are really starting to believe in themselves. Read their full story.

Last week we welcomed a group of Japanese visitors to our Paisley campus to explore the range of services for children and young people.

The academic visitors have gathered from universities across Japan as part of The Japanese Society of Social Pedagogy. The newly formed group travelled to Europe to research how social pedagogy is accepted, promoted and practised in European countries. As part of their visit, the group was shown around Kibble’s residential care houses, Safe Centre and schools. The purpose of the visit was to share best practice and knowledge which could then be applied in a Japanese residential care setting.

At Kibble we pride ourselves in our commitment to social pedagogy, a practice that ensures the well-being, learning and growth of individuals. It ensures young people are connected with society in terms of their inclusion and contribution.

Kibble’s model of integrated care, education and support is one that organisations across the world come to see first-hand. In fact, the latest visit by Japanese academics is one of more than 40 international visits within the last 2 years. Jim Gillespie, chief executive of Kibble said, “We were thrilled to host the professors to learn about how social pedagogy informs practice, and it’s our hope that the trip has been informative and helpful in shaping how services move forward.

“As a care, education and employment provider for young people, it’s vital that we share information, learning and experiences that will improve services across the world; likewise, we are always very eager to learn about best practice from our colleagues, to ensure the best quality of life for our young people.”

Professor Shigeyuki Mori, clinical psychologist from Konan University, said: “Currently in Japan, we have a system for teaching and a system for social work but there has been no social pedagogy system until now.

“By visiting Scotland and other European countries, we’ve noticed many differences in the ways social pedagogy is practised varying on location, which we will consider among implementation across the many different regions of Japan.

“For extremely traumatised children, safety and care is not enough.

“Our visit to Kibble has been very beneficial to allow us to understand how we can introduce the approach within our services, learning from the young person’s response to care to provide more stimulus.”

We were delighted to welcome Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner in Scotland, to Kibble earlier this week. This was Bruce’s first visit to Kibble and he joined us for a whistle-stop tour, catching up with young people in our residential services and the Safe Centre, before taking part in the fortnightly Who Cares? Scotland participation group.

During the group, young people discussed lots of different topics. At previous participation groups they’d talked in-depth about what young people can legally do in Scotland and at what age, with a strong focus on entertainment such as cinema, social media and DVD ratings.

The young people’s thoughts and comments were captured in a poster and this was used as a discussion point with Bruce to talk about the differences experienced by young people living in a care setting and their non-care experienced peers.

At Kibble, we place great importance on young people having the opportunity to voice their opinions and input into decisions that affect them. There are various ways young people can do this such as school council meetings, consultations, through their key worker, house meetings etc. This was also a great opportunity for young people to have their say and be listened to.

Bruce will be chairing the annual European Federation of Conflict Management in Education and Care (EFeCT) Symposium in Glasgow city centre on 15 May. This year’s event, ‘Enriching Young Lives: Therapeutic Steps Toward Healing the Hurt’ will be hosted by Kibble and will explore trauma-informed perspectives in working alongside children and young people.

Kibble’s Gender Pay Gap Report for 2018 is now available to view online. To access the report, please click on the link below:

Event: Enriching young lives – Therapeutic Steps Toward Healing the Hurt 
Date: 15th May 2019
Time: 8.30am – 4.45pm
Location: Principal Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow
Price: £149  

Book your place at this year’s EFeCT Symposium – the annual event for The European Federation of Conflict Management in Education and Care (EFeCT).

Kibble is delighted to host this years’ event which will take place in Glasgow. This engaging event will be delivered at the Principal Grand Central Hotel. The symposium will attract a host of international delegates to explore trauma-informed perspectives in working alongside children and young people; including everyone’s role in responding to healing the hurt inside.

About the Symposium

International experts on trauma-informed care will deliver presentations and chair conversations with delegates. Speakers presenting at this years’ symposium include:

• Howard Bath, The Three Pillars of Trauma-informed Care
• Shumela Ahmed, Resilience Learning Partnership – harnessing lived experience through a trauma-informed lens
• Mark Freado, Director Growing Edge Training Ohio – Connecting Trauma and Life Space Crisis Intervention
• Frank Fecser, President of Life Space Crisis Intervention & Mary Ellen Fecser, Consultant/trainer of the Positive Education Program in Cleveland, USA –  Positive Education
• Dan Johnson, Clinical Director, Kibble – a trauma-informed model in practice

Who is the event for?

This event is suitable for a wide-audience group interested in improving the life chances of children and young people affected by trauma including:

• European LSCI Trainers
• EFeCT members
• social care sector
• child and youth care
• educators
• psychologists
• managers
• researchers
• policy makers
• students

View event timetable

View keynote speakers

Cost

One-day event package costs £149. The price includes tea, coffee and lunches.

Bookings closed.

Accommodation and Travel

We have a number of discounted rooms allocated for EFeCT delegates. Rooms are discounted at 15% and can be booked on a first-come-first-served basis. To enquire about accommodation, please contact the hotel directly on 0141 240 3700 stating the code ‘EFeCT 2019’.

Alternatively, please visit the Principal Grand Central Hotel website to book online. When using the online booking form, please enter the promotion code FUNC15 to apply the discounted rate.

For a full list of hotels in the Glasgow area, please visit the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau website. Please be mindful that some hotels may be outside of the city centre.

Further Information

If you have any questions about the event, or having difficulties registering, please email gemma.gallacher@kibble.org or  patricia.walls@kibble.org. Alternatively, please call 0141 889 0044.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has heard from young people living in care at one of Kibble’s specialist sites in Paisley, home to those who have experienced significant trauma and adversity.

The visit was part of her commitment to listen to the voices and experiences of 1,000 people who are, or have been, in care.

The FM spent yesterday afternoon (21 January) learning about how it feels to be in secure care, understanding the environment that is home to the young people and hearing about the personal experiences from some of the young people there.

The First Minister made her commitment to listen to 1,000 Voices in 2016 and, shortly afterwards, announced the Independent Care Review which is chaired by Fiona Duncan.  The Review will look at, not only the experience of being in care, but also what causes children and young people to come into care in the first place as well as what happens when they leave.

Kibble is committed to developing its current services in line with The Review through its care for young people, while providing them with an education that is extended into the workforce within their social enterprises, and on to follow up support once they have left care.

The specialist care provider recently launched its Transition Team, offering extended support to care leavers to ensure they make positive and healthy steps as they move into an independent life with further education and employment.

The First Minister learned more about each of the care provider’s initiatives during her tour of the premises, which included a visit to the Safe Centre where young people, some with mental health issues, receive individual treatment plans enhanced by new and innovative interventions.

Jim Gillespie, chief executive at Kibble, said: “It was an honour to welcome the First Minister to our Paisley campus as part of the 1,000 Voices initiative, giving those living in care the platform to be heard like never before.

“It is imperative that the children and young people living in care are helping to shape the services that they encounter around the clock, using their own experiences, views and lessons learned to constantly improve and develop the way we look after our current and future generations.

“Our services continue to be redefined each year as we work closely with the young people on campus and around Scotland to ensure that they are given a chance at life. It is our hope that the outcome of 1,000 Voices initiative will support us in our offering of safe and supportive housing, education and employment for some of the most vulnerable young people in Scotland.”

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said: “I am determined that we do everything we can to improve the life chances of young people in care who depend on us to make sure they enjoy safe, fulfilling, secure and loving childhoods.  Responsibility for young people with care experience is arguably the single most important responsibility I have and that is why I have made it a priority to improve the support we provide and it is why I commissioned the Independent Care Review.

“It was my absolute privilege to meet the young people at the Kibble safe centre and Mossway residential house and to hear how Kibble is supporting their specific needs.  I am clear that any support we provide to children and young people must have their best interests and welfare at heart so I was pleased to see this ethos underpinning everything that Kibble is designing and delivering for its young people.”

Kibble owned social enterprise recorded its highest year on year sales since opening in 2014. The Experience, a go-karting and entertainment venue in Hillington Park, has reported a 10% increase in turnover compared to this time last year.

The Experience is home to a go-karting arena, café, laser tag, conference centre, kids party rooms and sensory room. The vans used by Kibble have recently been liveried in new Experience branding, and it is hoped that they will become a familiar site in Paisley.

Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive of Kibble, said:

“The Experience is a business with a difference. As a social enterprise, every penny spent is reinvested into providing training and employment opportunities to local young people.

“I want to thank each and every one of our customers for their support this year, and we hope that next year is even better.”

Plans to install a brand-new soft play centre for younger kids are well advanced and the appointment of a new General Manager means hopes are high for an ever better 2019.

General Manager of The Experience, Justin Way, said:

“The New Year will see some exciting developments for our customers. The objective remains the same, to provide first class customer service and an adrenaline fuelled day for people of all ages.

“Why not drop in to see what we can offer?”