Children and young people's residential services

Children & Young People's Residential Services provides a vital resource for children and young people who are unable to live at home. Children and young people who access the service may have varying degrees of social, emotional or behavioural needs and require intensive support packages to be in place. The aim of the service is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for vulnerable children and young people and offer a tailored approach that responds to their needs. Our staff team build positive, trusting relationships with them and establish and maintain limits and structure to their environment. The young people may have a range of complex needs, therefore our service helps ensure their safety and assists them to manage emotions and pain based behaviours.

There are a number of properties throughout Shetland, with two residential houses in Lerwick, one in the south mainland with plans in place for a new home north of Lerwick. The service responds to assessed needs for either short term task focused work or for longer term residential care. Residential staff seek to maintain a nurturing and homely ethos in all properties and actively promote physical and emotional support. The services provides an accepting caring environment and supports young people’s development, growth and self-worth.

The service takes an active participating interest in each young person’s physical and emotional health as well as their educational needs. Therefore, there is a multi-disciplinary approach to their educational and health needs. The service promote the overall development of each individual young person in order to meet their personal, physical, emotional, spiritual, social needs. Our collaboration with other professional agencies and the young people’s family help to secure the best outcomes for children and young people. A developing participation agenda ensures young people’s voices are heard and enables them to maintain control over their lives.

Children and Young People’s Residential Services is guided by the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. It is regulated and inspected by the Care Inspectorate under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.