News

Hairmyres Hospital nurses were joined by foster carers and friends last Saturday as they battled through mud, water, fire and ice in Total Warrior 2015! 

The arduous team of nurses, known as the Hairmyres Hurricanes raised a staggering £800 to support Kibble’s Intensive Fostering Services (IFS), with donations still rising. The 9 strong team saw Jennifer Tait, Leah Proud, Lauren Frew, Lauryn Kennan and Lindsay Dingwall take on 30 punishing obstacles in the 10k race, along with foster carers Alec McGhee, Morag MacLean and friends Gemma and Gael Selkirk. The warriors endured being stung by electricity, jumping over fire, crawling under barbed wire, trawling through waist-deep mud and swimming through ice-cold water, all in aid of Kibble.

Jennifer Tait (26) said: “It was very physically and mentally challenging, definitely more than we had prepared for; pushing each other over obstacles and pulling each other out of mud whilst losing our shoes in the mud, that was the worst. In every photo, however, we’re all laughing.”

For the Hairmyres Hurricanes, Kibble was a charity close to their hearts as Alec and Morag, who took part in the event, provide intensive fostering for children. According to Jennifer “we all see the amazing difference this makes to children who have had very little, taken into a loving, warm home”.

With over £800 raised, the group are hoping to smash their £1000 target with the money being put towards refurbishing the games room within Kibble’s Intensive Fostering Services, including buying new games, toys and books. Children and young people use the games room to relax while attending the unit for meetings with families, carers and social workers.

“We asked the kids what they would want to do with the money we raised. They have a room where they go to relax, be children and meet their families for supervised visits and it’s in need of some TLC so that’s what we’re going to do.” Jennifer Tait.

John McHale, IFS service manager at Kibble said:“We’re totally overwhelmed by the generosity and support from Jennifer, fellow warriors, and all of those who kindly donated. This will make a huge difference to children and young people in our care by giving them a newly re-furbished games room with lots of new toys, games and books for them to enjoy.”

If you’d like to donate, please visit the Hairmyres Hurricane’s JustGiving page. Text donations can be made by texting HMHC99 £10 (or other amount) to 70070.

Kibble is committed to the safety and protection of all of the young people whom we support.  Our recent inspection reports have highlighted regularly that young people feel safe with us.  We are conscious, however, of the concerns discussed nationally regarding the historical abuse of young people in care and have participated actively in these discussions in order to continue to reflect on how best to support young people in the future.  There may be young people who have left Kibble who would wish to raise issues or concerns about their time here.  We are happy to offer support or should they wish, they could contact the organisation set up nationally to listen to the experiences of anyone who has been in institutional care when they were a child.  This organisation is called The National Confidential Forum and their contact details are noted below.

Freephone no: 0800 121 4773
Office phone no: 0141 352 2333
Email to: information@nationalconfidentialforum.org.uk

Post to:
Freepost RTLG-CKTH-ZTEB
NCF
PO BOX 27122
GLASGOW   G2 9LB

On Friday 21 August, The Experience played host to a spectacular Charity Dinner in aid of the Beatson Cancer Charity. The dinner was a huge success and raised £7900 for the charity.

A great evening was had by all as over 100 guests gathered for an evening of powerful and moving speeches, delicious food, a fun auction and great conversations!

The Beatson Cancer Charity raises funds to enhance the treatment, outcome, experience and well-being of both patients diagnosed with cancer and their families. They provide vital support as well as raise funds for specialised posts including; nursing, radiography, physics, and research-based staff. Money also goes towards enhanced medical equipment, innovative service developments, unique research projects and educational initiatives.

The Academy restaurant was transformed into a dining extravaganza as in-house Interior Designer Sharon Kane used a nature theme to signify new life. Taking inspiration from the Beatson, motivational quotes were placed around the venue, and beautiful fresh yellow flowers adorned every table.

The night kicked off with a drinks reception in The Academy where guests were welcomed with a glass of bubbly. The first speech was given by Kibble’s CEO, Graham Bell who welcomed guests to the venue and introduced Maureen Thomson from the Beatson. Maureen delivered a heart-warming and though-provoking speech, asking everyone in the room to stand up. She then asked everyone who had been affected by cancer, or knew someone who had, to sit back down. Not one person was left standing. The room was left in silence for the remainder of Maureen’s speech where everyone listened to the great work Beatson are doing in their mission to beat cancer. The final speech of the evening was given by Donald Munro, our Executive Chef and the reason behind this event. During the development of The Experience, Donald was diagnosed with cancer. Donald wanted to organise an event to raise money for the Beatson Cancer Charity. This event was a great way for Donald to give something back to the Beatson and to showcase The Experience as an events venue.

Donald worked in the kitchen during the event alongside The Experience Chefs and visiting Chefs, Robert Lintott and Stewart Jarvie, to prepare a delicious meal for the guests. After dinner, the auction and raffle took place. The auction was a huge success and everybody got involved in the fun. All auction and raffle prizes were very kindly donated to us. A special thanks goes to John Ferguson of SCVO who ran the auction and managed to get everyone to dig deep.

The night was a great success and we were delighted to raise funds for such a deserving cause!

Kibble is proud to have been awarded Investors in Young People (IIYP) Gold Accreditation.
The prestigious award is Scotland’s only people management award that recognises excellence in an employer’s recruitment and retention of young people. The award demonstrates Kibble’s commitment to helping disadvantaged young people gain the skills, experience and confidence to build rewarding careers with bright futures.
Investors in Young People is designed to help employers meet their business goals by harnessing the creativity and skills of young people. Peter Russian, Chief Executive of Investors in People Scotland, said “This is a fantastic achievement for Kibble and I and the whole IIYP team would like to wholeheartedly congratulate them. The Investors in Young People framework not only recognises and supports organisations in the employment of young people, but also marks them out as an employer of choice”.
The award comes at an exciting time for Kibble as we develop our youth training and employment opportunities. KibbleWorks, our collective of social enterprises that provides employment, education and training to disadvantaged young people has recently expanded its offering in leisure and hospitality. The Experience is our 5-star themed entertainment and events venue at Hillington Park with; electric indoor Go-Karting, Laser Experience, Slot Car Racing, The Academy restaurant and meeting and event space. It is a real hub of opportunity for young people facing barriers to employment. The Experience is providing valuable and rewarding work experience and training in roles including; leisure assistants, catering, customer service, design and print, and front-of-house.
We have been looking after, educating and training young people, so they can play a positive role in society for more than 150 years. Graham Bell.Chief Executive, Kibble
Kibble operates a number of programmes for at risk young people, including the BIG YES Programme for 16-29 year olds who are furthest removed from the job market. The successful programme delivers practical work experience, skills development and job search advice. Young people can also gain accredited SQA and City and Guild qualifications, equipping them for a fast-paced and exciting career in leisure and hospitality. In addition, KibbleWorks provides employment opportunities for young people in care, preparing to leave care, or those whose needs cannot be addressed in the wider community. Employment and training is provided in; furniture restoration at OsKars, vehicle maintenance, design and print, picture framing and gardening and landscaping.

Chief Executive at Kibble Graham Bell passed his appreciation and thanks to IIYP for recognising the good work we do with young people. Kibble look forward to working with IIYP to continue to strengthen the opportunities we provide to young people.

We’re delighted to announce the opening of Kibble’s Arran Villa Care Home this month. The new care home, located in the scenic seaside town of Largs, will offer care and support to young children (aged 5-12) with complex needs and/or challenging behaviour.

Arran Villa Care Home is an early intervention residential service for up to five at risk children. It has been developed to meet the increasing number of referrals for younger children with needs that are best met within a smaller children’s home service. The safe, secure and friendly environment at Arran Villa aims to ease transition to foster care, supporting the children in their foster care placements.
At Arran Villa Care Home, we want the children to develop trusting relationships and to support this; we have a high staff to child ratio. This ensures each child receives highly personalised and focused support, tailored to their individual needs. The children are offered additional support services including; integrated education, Specialist Intervention Services, befrienders and Family Respite Care services.

If you would like further information, please contact Kay Gibson, Operations Manager on 0141 889 0044. To make a referral, please visit our referrals page.

Kibble staff were delighted to welcome Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick of Police Scotland on a recent visit to learn how Kibble is helping build safer communities.

Deputy Chief Constable Fitzpatrick is the Building Safer Communities Champion for Ferguslie Park, and in her blog ‘An Enterprise of Hope and Opportunity’, she praised Kibble staff for guiding young people through uncertainty to “hope and opportunity”, as well as being valuable role models in young people’s lives and the wider community.

Kibble has a strong community connection and continues to strengthen its services for young people with complex needs and/or challenging behaviour. KibbleWorks, a Youth Employment and Training Facility is equipping young people with vital skills and recognised qualifications to open up greater employment opportunities, while supporting the local community. Young people learn new skills from; furniture restoration to catering; gardening and landscaping to picture framing. Work plans are tailored to individual needs, giving each person the skills and confidence to enter the job market, while aiding the transition from living in care to living independently.

The latest development from Kibble is The Experience – a 5-star themed entertainment and events venue that’s attracted much excitement in the local community. The large go-karting and laser complex, based at Hillington Park, is a social enterprise providing employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged young adults, equipping them with vital skills in leisure and hospitality – all in a fun, fast-paced environment!

“The overriding impression is that the project is genuinely equipping young people for life with qualifications and experience that will be credible with businesses and therefore transferable in the long term” and “This is real nuts and bolts social enterprise at its very best”.
Building Safer Communities Board Member, Police Scotland

The Experience also features The Academy restaurant where high-quality food is deliciously prepared using fresh local produce, many of which have been grown in their community garden.

One Building Safer Communities Board member described Kibble as:

“A new inspirational model for lifting young people with more difficult and deprived backgrounds out of a hopeless situation into training, employment and a sense of achievement and self-confidence”.

Read the blog by Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick on the Building Safer Communities website.

Kibble Education and Care Centre collected two awards at the first annual Supplier Excellence Awards held by Scotland Excel, the centre of procurement expertise for the local government sector in Scotland.  Scotland Excel is a non-profit making organisation, funded by all 32 local authorities, and was established in 2008 to work collaboratively with members and suppliers to raise procurement standards, secure best value for customers and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public sector procurement in Scotland.

Kibble was successful in the Excellence in the Communities and Excellence in Innovation categories for our work in delivering secure care places for young people aged between 12 and 18. Our holistic approach integrates wider community services, including education, employment and training services, to improve the life chances of the young people in our care.

The Supplier Excellence Awards is the first programme of its kind in public procurement, and honours suppliers who demonstrate excellence through their participation in Scotland Excel’s national framework contracts which are worth nearly £700 million per annum.

James Gillespie, Head of Service – Safe Centre for Kibble said: “From the outset Kibble has always been a forward thinking organisation, continually striving to develop and adapt to meet the ever changing needs of the young people we serve.

“With deep roots in the local community, we are well aware of the importance of encouraging young people to actively engage and integrate with society.

“To have received not one but two awards, is recognition of Kibble’s commitment to the young people we support on a daily basis and the continued dedication of our staff.”

Councillor Mike Holmes, Convener of Scotland Excel and Depute Leader of Renfrewshire Council, added: “Kibble Education and Care Centre’s holistic and innovative approach demonstrates their commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable young people through education, work experience and support services tailored to their needs.”

A judging panel of 17 procurement experts, elected members and industry representatives from across Scotland were involved in shortlisting the finalists.

A total of 61 entries were received from suppliers across the UK. Of these, 29 finalists were shortlisted to compete in seven award categories, which recognised both small to medium sized (SME) and large businesses.

Over the past few months young people at Kibble have enjoyed working in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland on a number of very successful creative projects. The latest emotion fuelled performance premiered at the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care’s 2015 Steps To Success conference at the Central Hotel in Glasgow earlier this month.

Based on the theme of ‘transitions’, Arts Development Officer Gavin Sinclair worked with performers Michael Fowler and Dylan Todd from Kibble, and young people from the drama group at Who Cares? Scotland to produce three diverse 15 minute plays about life in care.  Two had very positive outcomes and the final highlighted areas for improvement across the sector.

Andy Naylor, Service Manager at Kibble’s Clyde Intensive Support Unit said: “I found the piece absolutely moving. It reflected the emotional pain that can sometimes be invisible with young people and demonstrated that they cope, day-to-day, with this invisible pain. We must remember this as Child and Youth Care Workers and significant individuals in these young people’s lives. Validating and supporting appropriately is essential when responding to the presenting behaviours in the young person’s life space.”

The group of young actors worked tirelessly together in the weeks leading up to the premier and benefited from the coaching of Scottish actor Josh Whitelaw during rehearsals.  Their hard work paid off as they received a standing ovation at the end of the performance from a 300 strong audience.

Kibble’s contribution didn’t end there, on the second day of the conference Gavin Sinclair along with Who Cares? Scotland delivered a practical workshop on the same theme.  Young people were also in attendance to ensure their voice was being heard.  The exercises within the workshop were designed to look at the importance of a strong relationship and continuity of care, highlighting how uncomfortable unfamiliar situations can be, and demonstrating the ways in which feelings change during the process of transition.

Gavin explained: “I created drama and acting exercises that would be used with professional actors to stimulate feelings and emotions that replicate those of a young person in transition, similar to method acting. The delegates certainly reacted as I had planned and seemed to gain a lot from the workshop. It certainly got them thinking and talking. I was really pleased with how it went.”

Watch out for the next exciting instalment from this creative partnership!

2014 was another busy year for Kibble as we continued to strengthen our provision for the young people that use our service and it’s all documented in our latest Annual Review.  We celebrated milestone birthdays; Intensive Fostering Services and KibbleWorks, our collective of youth training and employment enterprises, reached the ripe old age of ten.  Kibble’s latest venture The Experience, a themed entertainment and events venue, also a social enterprise, opened its doors to the public for the first time.

We are always very proud of the achievements of our young people; and 2014 was no exception with many playing an active role in community life, and participating in charity and fundraising events.  We had two baton bearers in the Commonwealth Games, 66 pupils achieved 297 SQA units across 29 different subject areas, and caring pupils spent over 2000 hours volunteering at primary schools, care homes and community projects.

2015 is shaping up to be equally as exciting, as we commemorate 175 years since Miss Elizabeth Kibble wrote her Last Will and Testament, ultimately laying the foundations for Kibble.  The Experience continues to go from strength to strength and in addition to housing Scotland’s only electric indoor Go-karting Arena and The Academy restaurant, it now also offers Laser Experience, a giant Slot car track, a range of summer clubs, the Karting with a Conscience programme, and a variety of events and party spaces. It has just been awarded the prestigious 5 Star Quality Assurance grading from VisitScotland, presented to venues which they rate as exceptional. The Academy restaurant also received the VisitScotland Taste our Best award recognising a delicious menu using locally sourced, fresh seasonal produce.

During the summer Intensive Fostering Services will open Arran Villa Care Home in Largs. It will provide an early intervention service for up to five at risk children (age 5 – 12) who present challenging behaviour. Kibble will also continue to grow its school service for younger children with the addition of Garnock Lodge Primary School.

Read more about our 2014 highlights by downloading a copy of our annual review or contact Kibble on 0141 889 0044 for a paper copy.

Kibble welcomed young people from the Listen2Us Project in Dumfries, and Who Cares? Scotland as they put their collective heads together to craft some amazing sculptures.  The organisations met at the recent ‘Who Cares? Scotland Time to [act]: Care Can Be Phenomenal’ event and it became clear there was an abundance of artistic talent that needed to be explored further.

Kibble’s Arts Development Officer Gavin Sinclair explained: “When I met the Listen2Us Project group it was obvious that they were keen to be involved in the Care 2 Create event. We quickly organised a weekend class and it was a real success. It just shows what can be achieved when we just go for it. Well done to everyone involved.”

Young people spent the morning designing huge sculptures on the theme of ‘inspirations’.  Finished sculptures included a star, a hot air balloon and even Sponge Bob!  The impressive artwork will be displayed at the Care 2 Create event on the 18^th of June at BAad in Glasgow.  The group have also put their literacy ingenuity to the test and penned poems for the forthcoming event.

Care 2 Create is delivered in collaboration with Kibble, Who Cares? Scotland and various community partnerships.  It has helped over 50 young people to learn new skills, improve their confidence, engage in the arts and widen achievement.  The Care 2 Create event is free and will celebrate care experienced young people coming together through the creative arts.  The evening will showcase a diverse range of artistic talent and will include textiles, jewellery, painting, sculptures, murals and other visual arts mediums, live DJ sets, animation installations, free running, drumming and musical performances.

Although the event is free, you need to register to attend.  If you want an evening of guaranteed entertainment and inspiration, follow the link below to book your space.

Register now for Care 2 Create