Kyloe House secure children's home

Kyloe House provides 12 secure placements to young people between the ages of 10 to 17 experiencing crisis in their lives and who have placed themselves, or others, at significant risk.

It is a national resource managed by Northumberland County Council, offering a specialist, value-for-money welfare bed service.

It offers a stable environment for young people to achieve positive wellbeing, gained through safe, consistent care and giving young people opportunities to develop to their full potential.

• Kyloe House Ofsted inspection reports

The following documents are available by contacting Kyloe House directly using the information found in the "Contact Us" section.

• Statement of Purpose
• Parent-Carer Handbook
• Staff Handbook

• Northumberland Safeguarding Children website
• Ofsted
• SAN secure homes network

Kyloe House Secure Children’s Home

Tel: 01670 785900

Email: kyloeadmin@northumberland.gov.uk

Facebook: Kyloe House Facebook page
If searching for Kyloe House on Facebook - we are listed under 'Pages'

All job opportunities are advertised on our job website.

If you have a young person moving on from Kyloe House, please complete the online survey.

Our online survey link will appear here shortly. If you would like to feed back in the meantime, please email childrens.residential@northumberland.gov.uk

Feedback from parents and professionals:

Quality relationships:

A social worker stated that ‘One of the home’s strengths is the quality of the relationships they form with young people.’

They kept her safe:

The parents of a young person told an inspector, ‘They have kept her safe and helped her to change some of her views.’

Kyloe House is my go-to provider:

A team manager from a placing authority commented, ‘Kyloe House is one of my go-to providers. I always feel confident when working with them. I recommend the placement to others.’

Working in partnership:

Identifying need, developing plans, case management and working towards transition are areas that are well coordinated. Young people benefit from receiving a multi-agency approach to their care. A team manager commented, ‘They are very receptive to joint working programmes’

Please email or call the team for up to date availability.
Tel: 01670 785 900
Email: childrens.residential@northumberland.gov.uk

Young people join us at Kyloe House for many reasons:

• challenging and/or criminal behaviour
• family breakdown
• risks to themselves and others
• remanded by the courts to reside in secure accommodation
• actual abuse or serious risk of abuse
• absconding and placing self and others at risk

Young people are placed in a secure home under the Children Act 1989, Section 25 or section 70 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The young people may also be, or have been, the subject of a:

• care order
• interim care order
• emergency protection order
• child assessment order
• remand

Many young people have experienced rejection, significant loss or change. Some may have suffered emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Kyloe House’s staff have the skills to engage with young people through their understanding of child development and relationship skills.

Kyloe House was purpose-built in 1997 and is set in a rural location in well-maintained grounds. The home creates a caring environment within the parameters of a secure home. The décor and furnishings are kept to a high standard through a child-centred planned maintenance programme.

All bedrooms are single occupancy with an en-suite bathroom and quality, built-in bedroom furniture incorporating a study area for young people.

There is a large, well-furnished living space, a smaller relaxation lounge, bathroom and toilet facilities, and a unit kitchen for food preparation when risk assessment allows.

Otherwise, the main kitchen provides a high standard of food. There is access to a yard with a well-established garden on each unit. Each unit has adequate staff sleeping-in and office areas.

Kyloe House has an excellent range of facilities to help support and develop young people:

• fitness suite
• multi-media and music centre
• sports hall and climbing wall

The team consists of seven full-time teachers, including a head of education, deputy head and supporting cover supervisors.

We provide individualised education programmes for each young person, which is broad, balanced and differentiated according to age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs.

Young people can access:

• The National Curriculum.
• A range of appropriate externally accredited qualifications, including GCSEs.
• Vocational education provision is offered when appropriate, including practical work experience whenever possible.
• Careers advice and guidance.

The curriculum is supported by high-quality teaching materials. Each young person’s general progress and wellbeing is promoted by teaching staff through:

• guidance and advice on education, social and careers matters
• recording and reporting the personal and social needs of the young person
• communication and co-operation with people and/or bodies outside the establishment
• participating in meetings arranged for any of the above

Full educational assessments will be provided for anyone admitted to Kyloe House, together with a report on educational progress and attendance as required for reviews and case conferences.

The school and care team work together and are committed to raising the achievements of young people and improving their life chances. Dedicated care staff support in classrooms during the educational day.

Special educational needs (SEN)

Young people with statements will have their arrangements reviewed in accordance with the SEN code of practice. Appropriate arrangements will be made by the Northumberland local education agency (LEA) when a young person without a statement needs an assessment before leaving Kyloe House.

Kyloe House provides activities and educational-based work in many areas. The following is a list of some of the groups regularly taking place. The team is proactive in setting up new groups and activities based on young people's interests:

• Go Girls and Boys’ Own (raising young people’s self-esteem)
• art club
• hockey club
• debate club
• offending behaviour group
• knife crime group
• gardening club
• sessions run by local fire and rescue service
• knife crime sessions facilitated by local police
• team building activities and projects

After school hours, the care team provides an evening plan incorporating group and 1:1 sessions. Smaller activities are organised to help improve young people’s group living skills. Activities are monitored monthly to make sure there is lots of variety and all our young people are encourage to get involved. Popular activities include:

• treasure hunt
• Deal or No Deal
• quizzes
• projector art
• glass painting
• cones (a football-based game created by current residents)

Young people have the opportunity to work towards a young sports leader award that enables them to gain skills and a certificate in sports coaching.

Kyloe also houses a state-of-the-art gym climbing wall, where they can experience physical and mental benefits from climbing. They also learn to support their peers, build trust and care for equipment.

Transitions

We believe the transition from secure care back into an open setting is a crucial part of a young person’s care plan. Therefore, we offer a comprehensive mobility package where secure criteria can be ‘tested’ and young people can be re-integrated into society.

It’s fully risk assessed and supported by Kyloe House staff and has proven a successful and important tool. Details will be discussed at each young person’s post admission meeting.

Health

We offer a full health assessment for all young people, including an assessment on admission carried out by our school nurse. We have long-standing working arrangements with many local health facilities to ensure young people receive treatment, including:

• referral to the local GP (where all young people are temporarily registered) is arranged if necessary
• dental check-ups and treatment
• eye and hearing tests
• pregnancy support with excellent links to local maternity facilities

Wellbeing

The team is dedicated to improving the wellbeing of young people in a variety of ways.

New resident psychological screening

Every young person receives a psychological screening from the forensic mental health service, which helps us understand how we can best work with each individual. It includes recommendations for further assessment to the placing authority, which may choose to seek further assessment. The team visits twice a week so staff and young people can use the facility at various stages of a young person’s stay.

Dedicated link-work team

Each young person is allocated a link-work team. This team is responsible for delivering work that has been identified by the placing authority. The work aims to reduce risk taking and increase self-esteem.

Ongoing staff wellbeing focused training

Staff have been trained to support the emotional health and wellbeing of looked-after young people, promoting positive mental health and high self-esteem.

Relationships

We believe sex and relationship education (SRE) is crucial for young people coming into secure accommodation. Support for sexual health and relationship issues is available for all residents. An SRE programme runs regularly in Kyloe School and we have specifically trained staff who can discuss issues with young people.

We also support visits to a local 1:1 clinic and have facilities in Kyloe House to treat some of these issues on site.

SORTED! Drug and alcohol education

Locally based SORTED! offer all young people at Kyloe an educational needs assessment followed by tailored intervention. Each session held is documented and sent to Kyloe House, enabling progress to be monitored. This includes tier two work where more specific intervention is required. SORTED! also run the ‘R U Thinking’ sex and relationships course on a regular basis in Kyloe House school.

Participation

Life skills

All young people develop important life skills during their stay at Kyloe House through education and our links with our vocational training partners. The team encourage independent living skills development and promote positive group living.

Care and service planning

We support young people to participate in their care planning and to express their views maturely. Meetings are held weekly where young people are encouraged to contribute to the unit and how it functions.

Staff recruitment

Many young people have the opportunity to be involved in staff recruitment as the young person’s panel is an important feature of Northumberland County Council’s recruitment process.

Support for the placing local authority
The team aim to support the placing authority by hosting all required meetings, including a monthly action planning meeting. Our support is underpinned by the following meetings:

• post-admission meeting (up to 48 hours after admission)
• secure accommodation review (28 days after admission)
• looked-after child review
• action planning meeting (monthly)

The Prince’s Trust

We work in partnership with The Prince’s Trust to deliver the XL club. The XL club is an informal initiative promoting educational achievement to young people who may have experienced barriers to success.

We have two XL advisors providing residents with opportunities to succeed and gain recognition for their skills. The group uses initiative and group work-based sessions to build up qualifications such as ASDAN awards.

We have been praised for having the highest standards of work and some of our residents have achieved gold awards and continued to excel beyond this. 

Local authority designated officer (LADO)

The role of the LADO is set out in the HM Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013). The Northumberland Safeguarding Children’s Board (NSCB) has procedures for managing allegations against people who work with children, for example, those in a position of trust.

The LADO works within children’s services and is alerted to all cases where it is alleged a person who works with children has:

• behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against children
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they are unsuitable to work with children

Click here for further information about the LADO.

Independent reviewing officer (IRO)

The IRO has a key role in improving care planning for looked after children. They also challenge delays in a child’s care plan which would have a negative impact on their life. 

Regulation 33 visits are carried out on a monthly basis. These are undertaken to assure Ofsted and ourselves that the young people living in our care are receiving good levels of care which maximise their outcomes in life.

Participation

Our participation and advocacy officer, Robin Craig, is available for looked-after young people who need advice, support or information. Young people can also express their views about the services.

Email Robin.Craig@northumberland.gov.uk or call 07785 573426.

Other supporting organisations

Young people staying in Kyloe House benefit from a number of agreements with outside agencies. We have worked with the following agencies:

• Army Careers
• Hang aerial dance – Dance City
• Them Wifies
• Barnardos
• Youth for Christ
• Gibber Drama Group
• The Bruvvers Theatre Group
• Prison Service
• Youth offending teams
• Positive Futures (Sports coaching)
• North East forensic mental health unit
• Teenage pregnancy unit
• Youth Justice Board
• Artstone project
• Teen Talk
• Ambulance Service
• Reflex - exist to empower children, young people and young adults to break the cycle of offending and reoffending.
• The Kolvin Unit – A forensic service for young people with mental health difficulties and offending behaviour.
• The Children’s Commissioner 

We aim to provide residential care in a stable environment which supports young people.

Our visions and values are:

• to deliver the service through a diverse, caring and skilled staff team
• to offer opportunities for young people to access external services supporting their health, social and educational needs
• to provide a positive group living experience, allowing young people to develop relationship-building skills and social skills
• to enable a return home or to develop skills for the young person to have accommodation choices in the future
• to work alongside families, education, health, youth justice and other agencies involved with the young person to gain an understanding of their needs and plan for appropriate intervention
• to provide clear care plans for young people throughout their stay in conjunction with their social worker and family
• to actively involve the young person in their care planning process
• to act as ‘good parents’ during the young person’s stay
• to provide a quality and best value service within the expected standards and regulations, as required by our various monitoring bodies including NCC, Ofsted and YJB

At the base of our vision and values, we understand although a young person’s right to liberty has temporarily been restricted, the young person’s rights to choice, privacy, independence, respect, dignity, partnership and liberty remain.

Empowering their sense and understanding of responsibility is an important part of their stay.

We would like to offer you a warm welcome to Kyloe House.

We know you may be anxious about being admitted to Kyloe House but it is not a prison, it's a children’s home and staff don’t wear uniforms. Our role is to look after you and positively support you through this challenging period. You’ll meet young people from different backgrounds and cultures at Kyloe House and will be treated equally and cared for.

Kyloe House has two units, one called Willow and one called Alder. Each has six bedsits and there’s no more than six young people on each unit. You’ll have a bedroom of your own with an en-suite bathroom. You’ll meet lots of staff on the unit who support and help to care for you.

We have a school, which will hopefully enable you to access future employment or training opportunities when you leave us. Learning is a very important part of living at Kyloe House and we aim to make learning fun and interesting for everyone. We believe learning to work together, have discussions and live as a group is just as important as learning for paper qualifications.

You will have many opportunities to do lots of different activities, including a school size gym which can be used for football and other sports, a cardio gym with state-of-the-art equipment and an indoor climbing wall. There is also a garden, play area and all-weather pitch on each unit and a media suite, where you can create your own music and film.

There will also be a TV in your room, PlayStations, CD Players, DVDs and more, so there’s no chance of being bored.

You may have concerns about why you or other young people have come to Kyloe House. Whatever the reason, we’ll look after you and keep you safe. Lastly, we would just like to say we hope to make your stay with us as positive as we can.

People who are important to you and who are safe can visit you. We’ll talk to you and your social worker about who and when they can visit.

Ideally, visits from family/carers, friends and other significant people should be made when school has finished or at weekends. However, they can also happen on ‘special occasions.’

Visits should only be for one hour, because we have 12 young people to plan for. However, arrangements can be made for a longer visit if needed, especially when people are travelling a long distance.

Generally, all visits should end at 9pm, because we have to help all the young people to settle and prepare for bed time.

You’ll have your own dedicated school, which has seven full-time teachers, including a head of education, deputy head and supporting cover supervisors

You’ll have your own individual education programme and will have the opportunity to access:

• the national curriculum, including the national specification for learning and skills and the national qualifications framework
• a range of suitable external qualifications
• job-based education, when part of your individual plan, including practical work experience whenever possible
• careers advice and guidance.

Kyloe House School, like the rest of the home, is a modern, safe and secure environment, where you are supported with high-quality teaching materials. Within the curriculum, your general progress and wellbeing is promoted by teaching staff through:

• guidance and advice on education, social and careers matters
• recording and reporting your personal and social needs
• communication and co-operation with persons and bodies outside Kyloe House

You are invited to participate in meetings arranged for any of the above.

When you arrive, the team will run through a full educational assessment with you. The team provides ongoing progress reports on your education and attendance and, as required, for reviews and case conferences with your social worker.

The team wants to help you continue any schooling you’ve already begun to open up your options for further education and work-based training. This approach helps you succeed in your chosen field and interests when you move on from Kyloe House.

We provide activities and educational-based work in many areas. The following is a list of some of the groups that regularly take place:

• drama group
• Go Girls and Boys’ Own – groups to help raise your self-esteem
• model club - building and painting
• art club
• offending behaviour group
• gardening club
• sessions run by local fire and rescue service
• knife crime sessions ran by the local police
• Positive Futures sports coaching
• music group

The team are very proactive in setting up new groups based on your interests.

After school hours, smaller activities are also organised. Popular activities at the moment include:

• treasure hunt
• Deal or No Deal
• quizzes
• projector art
• glass painting
• cones (a football-based game created by current residents)

You’ll also have the opportunity to work towards a young sports leader award, enabling you to gain skills and a certificate in sports coaching.

Many people work in Kyloe. We have a service manager, one registered manager and three assistant managers. There are two units, each with 20 members of care staff.

We also have dedicated staff working in the control room (control officers) and administration staff. These teams support the care team in managing your stay, including your pocket money and Kyloe credits.

There are seven teachers at Kyloe House who teach many different subjects. Your teachers will also attend your review meetings and will, if invited by you, occasionally attend lunch on your unit.

There’s a domestic worker allocated to each unit who, alongside you and the other staff, help keep the unit clean and tidy. We also have the catering team who provide us with lovely food. The chef visits the unit and speaks with the group to see what foods everyone likes.

The site manager and building assistant ensure all repairs are completed and the building maintenance runs smoothly. We also have staff on duty during the night, just in case you need assistance.

While at Kyloe House, two members of the care staff will become your link workers. We will try to ensure one of the link workers will be the same gender as you, if appropriate. The link workers will work closely with you, your family/carers and social worker/YOT worker to ensure your care/placement plan is drawn up and the work is carried out to help you move on.

This work is called ‘individual programme’ (IP work) and it will focus on ways of helping you with some of the difficulties you may have been experiencing. You will also have a Kyloe House case co-ordinator, who will be one of the senior staff.

The Kyloe House case co-ordinator will ensure your placement plan is being managed and ensure Kyloe House is doing its best for you.

There will be lots of things you will want to know about Kyloe House. Some will be more important than others, but we will try to answer all your questions. All the staff are here to help and care for you.

There are many reasons why your child may join us at Kyloe House:

• challenging or criminal behaviour
• family breakdown
• risks to themselves or others
• remanded by the courts to reside in secure accommodation
• actual abuse or serious risk of abuse
• absconding and placing themselves or others at risk

The courts make the decision to place your child in a secure home. The laws they work with are the Children Act 1989, section 25 or section 70 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. Your child may also be, or have been, the subject of a:

• care order
• interim care order
• emergency protection order
• child assessment order
• remand

Many young people could have experiences of rejection, significant loss or change. Some may have suffered some emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Our team has the skills and empathy to help and support your child throughout their time in Kyloe House.

Kyloe House was purpose-built in 1997 and is set in a rural location within well-maintained grounds. The home strives to create a caring environment within the parameters of a secure home. The décor and furnishings are kept to a high standard through a child-centred planned maintenance programme.

All bedrooms are single occupancy with an en-suite bathroom and built-in bedroom furniture with a study area for your child.

There is a large, well-furnished lounge area, a smaller relaxation lounge, bathroom and toilet facilities and a yard and garden. There’s unit kitchen for food preparation where risk assessment allows it, otherwise the main kitchen provides food to a very high standard. Each unit has adequate staff sleeping-in and office areas.

Kyloe House has an excellent range of facilities to support and develop young people.

Fitness suite

The fitness suite features modern cardiovascular equipment and complements the already well-used sports facilities.

Media centre

The media centre houses state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, as well as editing stations to allow your child to be creative in music, drama and production.

Sports hall and climbing wall

Keeping fit is a key part of our health and wellbeing focus. Your child will have the opportunity to work towards a young sports leader award, enabling them to gain skills and a certificate in sports coaching.

Your child can gain physical and mental benefits by using the full-sized climbing wall with a qualified instructor. They also learn to support their peers, build trust and care for equipment.

Your child will have their own dedicated school house. The school has seven full-time teachers including a head of education, deputy head and supporting care supervisors. They will have their own individual education programme to suit their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs.

They will have the opportunity to access:

• the national curriculum, including the national specification for learning and skills and the national qualifications framework
• a range of suitable external qualifications
• Job-based education, when part of their individual plan, including practical work experience where possible
• careers advice and guidance

Kyloe House’s school is a modern, safe and secure learning environment with high-quality teaching materials. Within the curriculum, your child’s general progress and wellbeing is promoted by teaching staff through:

• guidance and advice on education, social and careers matters
• recording and reporting on their personal and social needs
• communication and co-operation with persons and/or bodies outside of Kyloe House

Your child is invited to participate in meetings arranged for any of the above.

When your child arrives, the team will run through a full educational assessment with them. The team provides them with ongoing progress reports on their education and attendance and, as required, for reviews and case conferences with their social worker.

The team wants to help your child continue any schooling they have already begun, while opening up their options for further education and work-based training. This helps your child to succeed in their chosen field and interests when they move on.

Special educational needs (SEN)

If your child holds or requires an assessment for an SEN statement, the team will review what they need from Kyloe House School.

Group work and activities

Kyloe House provides activities and educational-based work in many areas. The following is a list of some of the groups that regularly take place at Kyloe House. The team is proactive in setting up new groups and activities based on the young people's interests:

• drama group
• Go Girls and Boys’ Own - raising young people’s self-esteem
• art club
• debate club
• offending behaviour group
• gardening club
• sessions run by local fire and rescue service
• knife crime sessions ran by the local police
• Positive Futures sports coaching
• music group

After school hours, the care team provides an evening plan incorporating group and 1:1 sessions. Smaller activities are organised to help improve group living skills. Activities are monitored monthly to ensure variation and your child is encouraged to take part. Popular activities at the moment include:

• treasure hunt
• Deal or No Deal
• quizzes
• projector art
• glass painting
• cones (a football-based game created by current residents)

Your child will also have the opportunity to work towards a young sports leader award, enabling them to gain skills and a certificate in sports coaching.

Kyloe also houses a state-of-the-art gym climbing wall, where your child can feel the physical and mental benefits of climbing with a qualified instructor.

Transitions - moving on from Kyloe House

We believe the move from secure care back into an open setting is a crucial part of your child's care plan. As such, we offer a mobility package to help your child integrate into their new home. This package is fully risk assessed and supported by Kyloe House staff and has proven successful for young people.

Health

We offer a full health assessment for your child, including a health assessment carried out by our school nurse on admission. We work with many local health services to ensure your child receives the treatment and care they need, including:

• referral to the local GP (where they will be temporarily registered) if necessary
• dental check-up and treatments
• eye and hearing tests
• pregnancy support, with excellent links to local maternity facilities

Wellbeing

The team is dedicated to improving the wellbeing of young people. We do this in a variety of ways.

Psychological assessment

On admission, every young person receives a psychological screening. This helps us understand how we can work best with your child.

It includes recommendations for further assessment to your child and their social worker, who may choose to seek further assessment. They will have access to ongoing psychological support throughout their stay.

Dedicated support team

Each young person placed is allocated a 'link-work' team. This is a dedicated team working with your child throughout their stay, monitoring their emotional and physical health.

Group exercises

Group work is also used to help explore specific areas related to your child's wellbeing, like gender and self-esteem issues.

Relationships

We believe sex and relationship education (SRE) is important for young people coming into secure accommodation. An SRE programme runs regularly in our school and we have specifically trained staff who can discuss issues such as pregnancy decision making and contraception. We support visits to a local 1:1 clinic which can provide health checks, information and future planning.

SORTED! drug and alcohol education

SORTED! offer all young people at Kyloe an educational needs assessment followed by tailored intervention, in order to help them with any drug and alcohol issues.

Participation

Life skills

We want to enable all young people to develop important life skills during their stay. This is done via education and with our links with our vocational training partners. The team also encourage independent living skills development and promote positive group living.

Care and service planning

Your child is supported to participate in planning their care. Meetings are held weekly, where they are encouraged to contribute to the home and how it functions.

Staff recruitment

Many young people have the opportunity to be involved in staff recruitment, as the young person’s panel is an important feature of Northumberland County Council’s recruitment process for children’s services.

Regular review with your child's social worker

The team host regular meetings, including a monthly action planning meeting, with your child's social worker. We pride ourselves on communicating positively with your child's social worker to help your child succeed.

The Prince’s Trust

Kyloe works in partnership with The Prince’s Trust to deliver the XL club. The XL club is an informative initiative promoting educational achievement to young people who may have been experiencing barriers to success.

We have two XL advisors providing residents with opportunities to succeed and gain recognition for their skills. The group uses initiative and group work-based sessions to build up qualifications such as ASDAN awards.
The team is proud to be part of such a positive organisation and have seen numerous success stories. Some of our residents have achieved gold awards and continued to excel beyond this.

One of our residents won the Prince’s Trust celebrating success awards in the North East, while another was nominated as a finalist.

Local authority designated officer (LADO)

The LADO’s role is set out in the HM Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013). The NSCB has procedures for managing allegations against people working with children, for example, those in a position of trust.

The LADO works within children’s services and should be alerted to all cases where it is alleged a person working with children has:

• behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against children, or related to a child
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children

Click here for further information about the LADO.

Independent reviewing officer (IRO)

The IRO is key in improving the care planning for children looked-after (CLA) and for challenging drift and delay. Monthly regulation 33 visits are carried out, undertaken to being able to assure Ofsted, and ourselves, that the young people living in our care receive good levels of care.

Participation

Our participation and advocacy officer, Robin Craig, is available for looked after young people who need advice, support or information. Young people can also express their views about the services they receive.
Email Robin.Craig@northumberland.gov.uk or call 07785 573426.

Agencies we have worked with

Young people staying in Kyloe House benefit from a number of agreements with outside agencies. The agreements provide a diverse pool of resources for each young person placed. Here are some of the agencies we have worked with:

• Army Careers
• Hang aerial dance – Dance City
• Them Wifies
• Barnardos
• Youth for Christ
• Gibber Drama Group
• The Bruvvers Theatre Group
• Prison Service
• Youth offending teams
• North East forensic mental health unit
• Teenage pregnancy unit
• Youth Justice Board
• Teen Talk
• Reflex - exist to empower children, young people and young adults to break the cycle of offending and reoffending
• Community Forensics Children and Young People Service (CFCYPS) – a forensic service for young people with mental health difficulties and offending behaviour
• The Children’s Commissioner 

Kyloe House employ staff who care and are trained on an ongoing basis to provide a stable environment, which supports your child with their individual rights and needs while encouraging them to make positive choices.

The Kyloe House team work on the basis that although your child's right to liberty has temporarily been restricted, their rights to choice, privacy, independence, respect, dignity, partnership and liberty remain. Empowering your child's sense and understanding of responsibility is an important part of their stay.

“I arrived at Kyloe House with a drug addiction. They have helped me to turn my life around. Soon I will be going back to my mum’s but I’m not worried about leaving as the staff really helped give me confidence.”

Feedback from young people who stay with us at Kyloe House is very important. You are encouraged to take part in individual and groups meetings. You are encouraged to make the most of your time and what you want to achieve while you are living in Kyloe House, as well as helping to improve services for everyone in the home.

Group meetings give you the opportunity to voice your views about activities, meals, group living and just about anything you think is important. Staff also attend the meeting; they are there to listen and help you put your views across if needed.

There are lots of other ways to make sure your views are heard.

Northumberland’s Children in Care Council, Voices Making Choices, meets regularly.

 

The group is made up of young people aged 15-21 who are all in care or care leavers. There are also groups for young people under 15, Young Voices making Choices and for care leavers, Future Route. Your own local council will have a Children in Care Council - your social worker will be able to provide you with these details.


Young people's ‘moving on survey’

If you are a young person moving on from Kyloe House, please complete the online survey.

Our online survey link will appear here shortly. If you would like to feed back in the meantime, please email kyloe.house@northumberland.gov.uk 

We have a school size gym where we can play football, netball, badminton and other sports.  There is a cardio gym with full state of the art equipment and also an indoor climbing wall.  We have a garden, play area and all weather pitch, which is used for different activities.

We have a media suite, where you can create your own music and film.

Other facilities and equipment you can access include a TV built in your room, PlayStations, CD Players, DVD’s and many more so there is no chance of being bored at Kyloe House.

We choose activities based on awareness days and important events around the world in order to help expand knowledge, creativity and awareness.

Day of the African Child:

The Day of the African Child is commemorated every year on 16 June by Member States of the African Union. 

It raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of education and also the rights of African children.  It also provides an occasion for governments, international institutions and communities to renew their on-going commitments towards improving the plight of children by organising activities aimed at including them.

For the activity in Kyloe House, we made a poster to send to a young boy in Ghana to tell him about our country.

American Independence Day:

We celebrated the 4 July with American themed games, food and treats.

Anti bullying project:

We had a group session to look at bullying and how it affects everyone involved.  We produced a clever poster display to help share the information with everyone in Kyloe House.

Ideally, visits from family or carers, friends and other significant people should be made when school has finished, or at weekends. On special occasions we can look to arrange a special visit.

Visits are generally for about an hour. However, arrangements can be made for a visit to last longer if needed, especially when people are travelling a long distance.

Generally, all visits should end by 9pm, because we have to help you and all the young people to settle and prepare for bedtime.






 

You will meet young people from different backgrounds and cultures at Kyloe House, you will be treated equally with respect and cared for.

We understand being admitted into a secure children’s home may be a frightening experience for anyone, we will all work together to try and look after you

We ask that you:
• Have respect for yourself as an individual
• Take care of yourself and ask if you need anything
• Participate in your IP (Individual Programme) sessions
• Talk to staff and ask questions if you want answers
• Aim to keep yourself safe and help to keep others safe

As we are living together as a group, we ask you to:
• Treat others with respect, recognising that opinions and views of other young people may differ from your own
• Be patient with staff and tolerant with your peers
• Avoid behaviour which may offend others, eg, swearing, talking about offending, name calling, glorification of crime and bullying.

Day to Day Routines and Structures are important, and so we ask you to:
• Get up and go to bed at your stated times
• Attend Education
• Attend your unit’s group meetings
• Stick to the other rules and expectations on your unit and in education

We have a service manager, one registered manager and three assistant managers. There are two units, each with 20 members of care staff.

We also have dedicated staff working in the control room (control officers) and administration staff. These teams support the care team in managing your stay, including your pocket money and Kyloe credits.

There are seven teachers at Kyloe House who teach many different subjects. Your teachers will also attend your review meetings and will, if invited by you, occasionally attend lunch on your unit.

There’s a domestic worker allocated to each unit who, alongside you and the other staff, help keep the unit clean and tidy. We also have the catering team who provide us with lovely food. The chef visits the unit and speaks with the group to see what foods everyone likes.

The site manager and building assistant ensure all repairs are completed and the building maintenance runs smoothly. We also have staff on duty during the night, just in case you need assistance.

While at Kyloe House, two members of the care staff will become your link workers. We will try to ensure one of the link workers will be the same gender as you, if appropriate. The link workers will work closely with you, your family/carers and social worker/YOT worker to ensure your care/placement plan is drawn up and the work is carried out to help you move on.

This work is called ‘individual programme’ (IP work) and it will focus on ways of helping you with some of the difficulties you may have been experiencing. You will also have a Kyloe House case co-ordinator, who will be one of the senior staff.

The Kyloe House case co-ordinator will ensure your placement plan is being managed and ensure Kyloe House is doing its best for you.

All the staff are here to help and care for you.

You’ll have your own individual education programme and will have the opportunity to access:

- the national curriculum, including the national specification for learning and skills and the national qualifications framework
- a range of suitable external qualifications
- job-based education, when part of your individual plan, including practical work experience whenever possible
- careers advice and guidance

Kyloe House School, like the rest of the home, is a modern, safe and secure environment, where you are supported with high-quality teaching materials. Within the curriculum, your general progress and wellbeing is promoted by teaching staff through
- guidance and advice on education, social and careers matters
- recording and reporting your personal and social needs
- communication and co-operation with persons and bodies outside Kyloe House

You are invited to participate in meetings arranged for any of the above.

When you arrive, the team will run through a full educational assessment with you. The team provides ongoing progress reports on your education and attendance and, as required, for reviews and case conferences with your social worker.

The team wants to help you continue any schooling you’ve already begun to open up your options for further education and work-based training. This approach helps you succeed in your chosen field and interests when you move on from Kyloe House.