Located in a semi-rural location within a village in East Ayrshire, Gatehouse provides a therapeutic, family environment for five children and young people aged between 8 to 18 years. The service offers enhanced support and tailored therapy, with identified assessed needs for individuals who have presented as high risk, exceptionally vulnerable or in need of greater protection.
The children’s home has a range of spacious communal areas and a large garden to the rear of the property, with an allotment area.
Supporting the needs of the young people
At Gatehouse, we support children and young people with trauma and adverse childhood experiences, as well as additional support needs. This includes an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), pathological demand avoidance (PDA), social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs and child sexual exploitation (CSE).
We promote an ethos of safety and wellbeing for all children, young people and staff. The principles of GIRFEC are at the core of the work used to promote boundaries and safe care, used to establish a safe and secure environment. Within a 24-hour waking service, the availability of 1:1 and 2:1 support is viewed as crucial to supporting the previous work of other professionals and in securing positive transitions.
Providing best practice
Our team at Gatehouse has a wide range of experience and expertise in working with individuals, who require enhanced support.
Staff are mindful of the backgrounds of each young person and effectively use nurturing approaches to create a truly calm and supportive ethos. Transitions from previous placements are carefully planned with full credence given to the voice of the young person. Our team are experienced and skilled in delivering specific interventions, including restorative approaches, support for substance misuse and trauma counselling.
A mentoring service for each individual is available, which is driven by a focus on challenge and opportunity in the pursuit of lasting social change. As appropriate and in keeping with the child’s plan, staff work in a robust manner to provide lasting change through preventative and early interventions, continuity of care and multi-agency work.