Siobhian Brown MSP has visited Kibble’s Safe Centre in Paisley to learn about its work and discuss the future of secure care in Scotland.
The Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise met young people supported at the centre.
One young person led the minister on a tour of the houses, Mirin Academy and shared spaces. They gave her an account of daily life at the centre.
The Safe Centre provides residential care, education and therapeutic support for young people in one place. Its approach recognises the effects that trauma can have on a young person.
Ms Brown 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 Kibble chief executive Mark Macmillan.
She also met 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.
They discussed Kibble’s experience of caring for young people since 1859 and the needs of those aged up to 26 whom it supports today.
Mr Macmillan 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.”
He added: “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.”
Headline photo: Kibble chief executive Mark Macmillan with Siobhian Brown MSP during her visit to the organisation’s Safe Centre in Paisley.