Kibble welcomes Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise to learn more about Scotland’s secure care provision.
Siobhian Brown MSP, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, has visited Kibble’s Safe Centre in Paisley to see first-hand the trauma-informed work taking place in one of Scotland’s secure care centres.
During the visit, the Minister met young people supported at the Safe Centre. One of the young people lead her on a tour of the houses, Mirin Academy and the other shared spaces, giving a first-hand account of daily life. Because the Safe Centre brings together specialist residential care, education and therapeutic support in one place, the Minister was able to follow a young person’s day from the house they live in, the classrooms they learn in, and areas where they spend time.
Secure care supports young people at a point of crisis and offers a therapeutic, trauma-informed environment combining close care with education and specialist support. Siobhian Brown MSP said:
I am grateful to the team at Kibble for taking the time to meet me and to the young person who showed me around Kibble’s safe centre. I was very pleased to witness the caring ethos evident throughout the visit.
The commitment to providing the highest standards of care was clear. I look forward to continued engagement with Kibble and other partners as we work together to enhance secure care services to best meet children’s needs in line with our plans to reimagine secure care.
The Minister was welcomed by Chief Executive Mark Macmillan, alongside Damien McGrogan, Executive Director for Secure and Intensive Services, Dan Johnson, Executive Director for Specialist Intervention Services, and Natalie Connell, Head of Operations at the Safe Centre. Discussion drew on Kibble’s experience of caring for young people since 1859, and on the needs of those aged up to 26 it supports today, before turning to secure care. Mark Macmillan, Chief Executive of Kibble, said:
Secure care has an important and highly specialised role to play in Scotland’s care system. The young people who need this level of support often have some of the most complex and challenging experiences behind them, and the quality and consistency of the care they receive can have a profound impact on what happens next in their lives.
It was great to welcome the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise to Kibble and give her the opportunity to see first-hand how education, care and therapeutic support can work together to create a safe, stable environment.
The visit to Kibble comes as the Scottish Government and the wider care sector continue to work together to develop flexible, trauma-informed services that meet the needs of children and young people. Mark continued:
Our experience shows that when care is genuinely trauma-informed and closely integrated with education and therapeutic support, young people are better supported to build stability, develop confidence and skills, and move on successfully to the next stage of their lives. Ensuring the right support is available, at the right time, is essential to making that possible. That must remain at the heart of the conversation about the future of secure care in Scotland.
