A long-serving member of staff at Kibble in Paisley has marked 40 years with the children’s care charity.
Sue Jones joined Kibble in 1986 on a four-week student placement while studying social work. Four decades later, she is now a Senior Learning and Development Officer and one of the organisation’s longest-serving employees.
Kibble, based in Paisley, provides care, education and therapeutic support for children and young people.
Sue estimates she has trained “thousands” of social workers, child and youth care workers and education staff during her time with the charity.
In her current role, she delivers training to staff who work with vulnerable young people supported by Kibble. This includes face-to-face and online sessions covering topics such as social pedagogy, ASIST suicide intervention, safe talk suicide awareness, child protection, trauma-informed practice and self-harm.
Sue spent her first 25 years at Kibble working directly with young people. She moved into the Learning and Development team in 2011 and became a senior officer in 2016.
Sue Jones, Senior Learning and Development Officer at Kibble, said: “In my 40 years at Kibble I spent 25 years working directly with young people, which was life-changing for me, before moving into the Learning and Development team in 2011 and later becoming a senior in 2016.
“Now, I get the same satisfaction from helping new trainees grow in confidence. Over the years it must run into the thousands of colleagues I’ve supported, all of them now out there making a difference in young people’s lives and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”
Reflecting on what has kept her at Kibble for four decades, she said: “Of course, it can be challenging, but the young people are what make it all worthwhile – they’re my passion. Their resilience and talents never fail to inspire me and seeing them grow and move forward in life is the greatest reward.
“One of my proudest moments was when a young person I had supported returned years later to introduce me to his own child and to thank me for believing in him when others hadn’t. Moments like that stay with you forever.”
Over that time, Sue has seen children’s services move towards what is known as a trauma-informed, therapeutic approach. This means recognising how past experiences of trauma can affect behaviour and development, and tailoring support to help young people feel safe and understood.
Mark Macmillan, Director at Kibble, said: “Sue has dedicated 40 years to Kibble, and her influence reaches far beyond the young people she’s supported directly.
“She’s shared her experience, knowledge and values with thousands of colleagues over the years, helping to shape the future of children’s care. Sue’s commitment and impact stand as a lasting legacy within our organisation and the wider sector.”
Kibble continues to recruit for a range of roles including Child and Youth Care Workers, Social Workers, Learning and Development Officers and Primary Teachers.