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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?”

It’s been a busy and exciting few weeks at Kibble as the young people and staff team have been getting ready for Christmas.

The schools, care houses, Safe Centre, community houses and social enterprises have been buzzing with the spirit of Christmas. Pupils have taken to the stage to entertain audiences in their X-Mas Festival, there’s been Christmas Fayres, parties and nativity performances, not to mention an endless amount of fundraising for others that need a helping hand. As CEO at Kibble, I’ve been overwhelmed with pride for the young people, who despite their own difficulties have recognised the plight of others and given their all to make Christmas time a little easier for some.

On a freezing cold November night with the rain lashing, a group of boys and staff slept out to raise vital funds for the homeless charity Social Bite. Despite the awful weather conditions through the night, the young people embraced it and enjoyed spending time together and supporting such a great cause. So far, they have raised over £400 and with money still coming in, they’re hoping to smash their £500 target! The experience gave the boys a deeper understanding and compassion for those without a home and warm bed. The kindness that they have shown is incredible and we are all very proud of what they have done to help others.

In one of the other care houses, the young people have been avidly seeking donations of male and female bags filled with warm clothing, sanitary products, food items and gifts for the homeless. The young people and care staff will be heading out over the festive period to hand these out to those living on the streets to bring some joy in a difficult situation. The young people will be supporting the Glasgow City Mission who provide Christmas dinner, warmth, a kind ear and helping hand to those living on the streets at Christmas.

But the charity-giving and selflessness hasn’t stopped there, young people and staff across Kibble have been gathering up items of non-perishable food items, toiletries and gifts to make up Christmas Hampers. The hampers will be delivered to nearby food banks on Christmas Eve to help local people living in crisis and unable to afford food and other basic needs. At the Hillington Park Church foodbank, run by the Trussell Trust, 183 people sought food parcels on the Friday before Christmas alone.

Alongside this, pupils in education raised an incredible £160 for charity Save the Children. They raised funds through their X-Mas festival performance in front of a packed audience, as well as Christmas Jumper day on 14th December. The Safe Centre Christmas Fayre also helped raise vital funds for ME Action Scotland.

As you can see it’s certainly been a season of kindness and giving and I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the young people and staff who have gone above and beyond to help others. As I sit here about to head home to my family and keep my son amused for a few hours longer as he excitedly awaits Santa’s arrival, I’m reminded by how much love and warmth exists in our Kibble family. This is what Christmas is all about; not turkey, Santa, mince pies and mistletoe. It’s about gathering together to show kindness and love.

On behalf of myself and all of us at Kibble, I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2019.

Jim

YOUNG people from Kibble tackled the big questions on religion, politics and morality as part of UNESCO’s World Philosophy Day. A panel debate with Fr Dennis Carlin, Cllr Mags McLaren and Kibble Head Teacher Tom Laurie took questions from young people on topics such as the existence of God, assisted suicide, the legalisation of cannabis, and the justification for experiments involving animals.

World Philosophy Day is a global celebration targeted at young people that is designed to encourage critical thinking, independent thought and debate. First held in 2005, it has grown into a major event with thousands of participants and events on every continent.

Speaking after the debate Tom Laurie, Head Teacher at Kibble, said:

“The quality of the debate and the ideas being discussed in the room were first class. Being able to interact and hear first-hand from the panel has been hugely valuable for our pupils.

“Philosophy is not an abstract concept that applies to a few academics in a university. It is something that allows us to contemplate about the world we live in and our place in it. I want to thank our guests who took part in today’s event and got the young people thinking.”

Father Dennis said:

“This is the second time I have participated in this debate with young people from Kibble and I am amazed at how well they argued their differing points of view.

“The articulate and confident nature in how they expressed their opinions is a credit to themselves. My thanks go to the staff and young people at Kibble for inviting me along.”

Cllr Mags McLaren said:

“There were many thoughtful questions and points on what can be considered controversial issues. It was heartening to hear how the young people respectfully heard each other’s point of view, even if they agreed with them or not.”

In the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday, Kibble’s Gannochy Trust Centre for Expressive Arts was transformed into a scene reminiscent of the 1940s.

Young and old gathered together to join in a chorus of songs that were sung during the war and stories were swapped around the table as everyone enjoyed some high tea. And it wasn’t just chatter and the clatter of crockery that could be heard – there was the distinct sound of clicking knitting needles as our guests showed the younger generation how it’s done!

The ages of those in attendance may have spanned the generations, but everyone came together as they paid a moving tribute to the fallen, which was particularly poignant with this year marking 100 years since the end of World War I.

As music teacher Alexis Urie explained: “Kibble’s been hosting this event for a number of years now. It’s an excellent example of an intergenerational learning project where people come together and have the opportunity to find out more about each other. It’s also important for young people to learn about the war and the effects it had on people’s lives. Our young hosts were exceptional and played a key role in making the day special for everyone who attended.”

We’re looking forward to continuing the tradition at Kibble next year.

The Paisley Halloween Festival was the grand finale of months of hard work, dedication and artistic talent from Kibble pupils.

On Saturday 27 October the stage was set for a ‘spookacular’ Halloween extravaganza as hundreds of performers took to the streets to entertain local crowds. The procession featured acrobats, dancers, singers and musicians who dressed up in ghoulish costumes to parade through the town.

For 25 Kibble pupils, this was an opportunity to showcase their hugely creative talents. The theme chosen was ‘The Greatest Showman’ and many a long day was spent in the art studio researching, designing and composing a sensational circus themed float. The scale of the brief brought a great team effort across the charity. From the technical teams who ensured the float shone as bright as the performers, to the woodwork that was crafted from rough pencil sketches – everyone had a role to play. At Kibble, we don’t believe in doing anything in half measures – to get fully into character, pupils took part in a circus performance workshop led by Circus Arts Scotland. A fun afternoon was spent hula hooping, feather balancing and learning the technical art of “Devil Sticks”.

The parade was a really positive experience for the young people and the smiles beaming from their faces said it all. This was a real team effort and we would like to thank the events team at Renfrewshire Council for opening up this opportunity, as well as Noel Bridgeman, Director of Bridgeman Arts for his invaluable advice in putting this performance together.

Now that the cobwebs have blown away on this Halloween project, we’ve now cast our sights on the next learning opportunity. The pupils are going to be involved in a cross-generational project with local care homes to learn and share creative skills, songs and to learn more about each generation. Watch this space!

THE national Young Builder of the Year Awards has recognised the achievements of two young people from Paisley at an awards ceremony in the Houses of Parliament, London. Grant Ballantine and Sterling Couture, both trainees at social enterprise KibbleWorks Construction, were commended by judges and awarded the prize of brand new tools and equipment.

Grant attended the awards in London in person. He said:

“I want to thank Mark for putting me forward for the Awards, and for getting the chance to visit London and see the parliament.

“I’ve never been to London before so getting to see the city as well as the awards has been a hugely enjoyable experience. I’ve been learning a lot about working in construction industry and I hope to use what I’ve learned in my future working life.”

Mark Robertson, Depute Head Teacher at Kibble, accompanied Grant to the ceremony. He said:

“The achievements of Grant and Sterling are remarkable and deserve to be recognised in this way.

“They were the only winners from Scotland which I think shows just how incredible their achievement is. Kibble is proud of what they have accomplished, and I am sure that they will go on to have great careers in the building trade.”

KibbleWorks is a group of social enterprises based in McKean Street, Paisley. It offers a range of services to local community such as construction, vehicle mechanics, garden maintenance, landscaping, picture framing, promotional materials and more. The social enterprise business model means that all profits from the business are directly invested into giving local young people training and education opportunities that they might not otherwise be able to access.

Youthbuild UK, the organisation who organise the annual awards, are a charity who promote the achievements of young people who are training for a trade. They support and advise organisations and employers to set up projects, skills training and employment schemes to combat social exclusion.

Kibble Group has started the process of creating a new specialist education centre for primary aged children between five and 12.

The organisation has purchased the former residential care home buildings of Parkhill House and Garpel House and will seek planning permission from Renfrewshire Council for the change in use.

Located on the outskirts of Lochwinnoch, the proposals seek to turn the existing buildings into a small primary campus with residential accommodation for young children who have been affected by adversity in their early years.

Kibble has extensively researched ground-breaking methods of care and education by visiting similar centres across the world over the past three years. The campus will be a safe and comfortable environment for primary aged children in preparation for eventual long-term foster care.

The therapeutic approach to education will allow young people to experience the benefits of outdoor learning alongside National Curriculum based classroom teaching. Natural surroundings create a safe environment for students with special needs, incorporating innovative animal-assisted and nature-based activities. The education centre will eventually accommodate up to 30 pupils.

Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive of Kibble Group, said: “Kibble believes that the right care and education has the potential to transform the lives of young people, no matter their background or circumstances. The proposal for a new specialist centre is entirely guided by that approach, providing a safe and nurturing environment for young people who have experienced severe adversity in their early years.

“The site of this former care home is the ideal, idyllic setting for this type of campus and we’re due to begin speaking with local community organisations about how we can work collaboratively.

“We have begun the process of applying for planning permission to renovate the two buildings, converting them into modern classrooms and residential accommodation. This will allow us to change the use from a retirement home to a state-of-the-art educational facility delivering tailored support for children.”

Based in Paisley and founded in 1859, Kibble Group is a charity and social enterprise which provides an extensive range of services for children who are at risk or have experienced trauma in their early years. It works with young people from the age of five, providing education and care from centres in Largs, Paisley and Garnock Valley.

Further information about the proposals can be viewed at www.kibble.org/early-years

Pupils have been immersed in the exciting world of dance as part of The Close project, run by Scottish Ballet.

The Close is an education project which gives young people, who may not have had the opportunity to engage with classical dance, an enriching cultural experience. For young people affected by adversity, and who have faced difficult experiences, it provides a means of expression, a chance to explore their creativity and develop valuable teamwork skills.

As part of the project, pupils and staff attended a VIP performance of  Scottish Ballet’s upcoming big production. After being mesmerised by the performance, pupils had the chance to take part in dance taster workshops at The Tramway, home of the Scottish Ballet. The pupils loved every minute of the experience and one boy aged 13, even performed a dance solo in front of his classmates.

To say the pupils gained a lot from the experience was an understatement. As pupil Robert said about the experience “it calms you down if you’re very stressed, it helps you calm down and think of the dance and if something has gone on you can just forget about it and you’re in the mode, you just totally forget about everything and you just focus on dance all the time”. Class teacher Chris McDonald spoke of the positive changes he saw in the pupils over the course of the project as they developed stronger friendships and learned about teamwork.
Lisa Sinclair, Special Projects Manager at  Scottish Ballet has been in touch to thank pupils and staff for their trust and dedication to the project stating “What a wonderful group of artists we had the pleasure of working with”.

We look forward to working with Scottish Ballet in the future to open up incredible life opportunities for the pupils. The partnership is invaluable for Kibble, and we would like to thank them for their ongoing support and commitment.

James Gillespie, Chief Executive at Kibble Group, highlights how the charity and social enterprise is leading the way in supporting young people with complex social, emotional and educational needs.

At Kibble, we support children from the age of five right through to young adults, many of whom have experienced significant trauma.

Our services are all integrated and cover a vast range of areas including: residential care, secure care, primary and secondary education, specialist intervention services, intensive fostering services, young workforce development, outreach services, and preventative and rehabilitative community services.

Supporting young people is like a jigsaw –all the different pieces need to join together to complete the picture. It’s a culmination of a lot of factors, from creating a comfortable, safe environment to providing continuity of staff support, ensuring there is structure in a young person’s life, and involving them in decisions that affect them.

At Kibble we adopt a ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ approach and focus on the overall wellbeing of the young people we support. This can cover everything from cooking healthy meals to encouraging young people to be active or take part in creative activities with others, and offering therapeutic interventions. We also apply a model of trauma-informed care which looks at different aspects of a person’s life, including physical, psychological and emotional safety and healing. It’s important that the young people who come to Kibble know they’ve got a place where they are safe and supported by people who love and care for them.

It is also really important that the young people we support feel empowered and confident about their future prospects after they move on from Kibble, and our social enterprise model is one way we can achieve this.

KibbleWorks, the collective name for Kibble Group’s social enterprises, was established in 2005. Our social enterprise model enables us to offer employment opportunities and training for the young people we support (aged 15+). It also helps to ease the transition from education into the world of work. We provide work-based learning combined with the chance to study for qualifications.

Ultimately, we want to improve a young person’s chance of getting that all-important job, which could help prevent them from facing a ‘cliff edge’, or falling further behind their non-care experienced peers.

Our young workforce development programmes are based on labour market intelligence, enusuring young people are undertaking work-based learning that’s relevant to the current jobs market.

There are many positive features of operating as a social enterprise. For Kibble, the biggest positive is the fact that any surpluses are reinvested for the social good, and the young people we support see the benefit.

While we focus on equiping young people with the skills to move forward and take the opportunities that life offers them, our door is always open if they need to get in contact, for whatever reason.

We regularly have return visits from former Kibble young people who come back to share their stories with those we are currently supporting. Their experiences and the messages they convey are powerful and young people can often relate to their stories. Their success highlights that despite what has happened in the past there are opportunities for the future.

In a way, Kibble exists not to exist. In an ideal world young people would no longer need our help.Sadly, the reality is that’s not likely to happen in the foreseeable future. The ideal scenario for us would be a greater focus on earlier interventions to ensure those at-risk don’t experience trauma in the first instance. Until a time when that reality exists, having a strong understanding of trauma and how to deliver trauma-informed care allows us to tackle the root cause of problems instead of simply treating the symptoms. We understand that organisations like ours have a big role to play in further reducing the demand for intensive interventions such as secure care placements.

From prevention work and trauma-informed support to participative methodologies, peer support and young workforce development – we work hard to support a future where all at-risk children and young people can go on to live happy and healthy lives. Kibble may have been established 177 years ago, but we’re always looking for innovative solutions that will really work for Scotland’s young people. They deserve nothing less than the best.

James Gillespie is Chief Executive at Kibble Group.

What Kibble say about membership:

“Being part of the Children in Scotland network offers an excellent opportunity to connect with like-minded organisations. It’s a great platform for sharing information and good practice, and learning about the latest developments. The work of Children in Scotland has had a positive impact on the lives of many young people and Kibble Group is delighted to offer its support.” – James Gillespie

This article first appeared in Issue 187 (Aug – Sept 2018) of Children in Scotland Magazine