We provide residential care, accommodation, education, health services and help to plan for a positive future. We help young people who have different problems and complex health and wellbeing needs. Your son or daughter is at the centre of planning their care. We do everything possible to make sure that while living with us, all their experiences are positive.

All accommodation is well-designed and a very comfortable place to live. Your child will live in a house, which becomes their home while they stay with us – each house is decorated to a high standard, with bright, warm furnishings. Each house has a ‘homely’ feel.

Our beautiful woodland setting provides all young people with a tranquil and calm place to live, and our staff a stunning place to work. The grounds are very well maintained. We also offer outdoor learning opportunities through our own Eco School and Forest School.

They are compassionate, supportive and work very hard to develop and maintain strong and positive relationships with your child. They work with your child to set appropriate boundaries around behaviours, while maintaining caring relationships. It is very important to us that your child feels safe, accepted and supported.

Each house has a large bright, well-furnished lounge area, a dining-room and games room. These areas are shared with other young people and staff, so your child can spend time with staff and other young people.

A lot of our vegetables are grown here at Rossie by our young people as part of their outdoor education experience. Each house has a kitchen for preparing food and baking. We encourage your child to get involved with these activities to help build confidence, learn new like skills and of course, have fun!

If your child has any allergies, we will ensure extra care is taken in preparing meals for them. We also strive to meet our young people’s cultural needs. Some of our young people have dietary requirements stemming from their cultural or religious backgrounds, and we want to ensure all our young people are confident that we will provide for this.

All young people are encouraged to take pride in their own bedroom and responsibility for their possessions. Cleaning is part of the daily routine which helps our young people take ownership of their tasks.

We have a medical room for young people in secure care which is used for consultations and appointments. We help all our young people in residential care to register with doctors in the local community practices .We have a Nurse Practitioner and Health Care Support Worker who will work with your child to meet any health and medical needs. We make sure we know of any particular medical needs your child has as soon as they come to Rossie.

Everyone at Rossie works together to ensure your child gets the best care, and the help they need. Staff are fun, outgoing and will support your child to understand the way different activities are organised throughout the day. This provides familiar routines to help all young people feel safe, build their confidence and self-esteem. In school, our teachers make learning and lessons fun, interactive and as engaging as possible. If your child expresses any particular interests, we help them to build on these. We also love to make the most of the outdoors! We enjoy marking national days and events in the calendar like St. Patrick’s Day, Burns Day and Valentine’s Day. We also acknowledge and celebrate different cultures and celebrations like Christmas Day, Ramadan and Chinese New Year.

We ask for 24 hours notice so we can prepare for any requirements such as transport or a meal. We will make you feel welcome and offer you food and refreshments when you arrive.

Visits usually last one hour and you can book a time via the Rossie Reception on 01674820204 or 01674820354.

Visit time slots are usually during the following times:

• Weekdays (Monday to Friday) after 17.00 and before 21.00
• Weekends – anytime before 21.00.

If your child’s placement means they can have access to the community, we can also plan your visit in the community rather than at Rossie. We try to be as flexible and as accommodating as we can, especially for those family members who are travelling long distances. We want your visit to be special and happy for you and your child.

Regular contact helps relationships to continue. Rossie believes family relationships have a major impact on the positive development of each young person. Depending on your child’s plan, we can also arrange ‘home visits’ in the evenings, over weekends and during holidays. We can also support your child to have overnight stays as part of their care plan.

If you require further advice on how to support your child, you can speak with your child’s Key Workers or contact – Parent Line Scotland | +08000282233 | parentlinescotland@children1st.org

We offer National Qualifications that are recognised through both the Scottish Curriculum and the English National Curriculum.

Your child will be offered an Induction into the school as we understand they may have attended classes for some time. They may be nervous about going to a classroom. Our teachers assess so they know what stage of learning your child is at. All class work and homework is planned around your child’s ability and stage of development. Teachers assess your child’s progress throughout the school term so we can track their progress against their personal learning goals.

We offer a range of subjects and regularly add to these options including subjects such as Maths, English and History. We also offer other choices such as Dance, Outdoor Education and Craft Design and Technology. We also encourage young people to take up work experience opportunities where possible. See our Education and Employability Skills page for more information.

Specialist Intervention Services (SIS)

This is our psychology service and our SIS team will get to know your child and their needs very well. We focus on your child’s physical, emotional and behavioural wellbeing and we do our best to help them learn new skills to cope with difficult emotions like sadness or anger. Our SIS staff will carry out assessments with your child and then work with them to deal with their concerns and plan for their future. See our Health and Psychological Services page for more information.

A regular structure also helps your child feel safe while living in Rossie. We take the time to get to know your child and their needs as they get to know us, while building trust. We work at your child’s pace. Your child has a number of key workers and together they form what we call the ‘Team Around the Child’ (TATC). Your child is also part of this team. They will help and support your child deal with difficulties and all aspects of their behaviour. Your child’s wellbeing is the central concern and focus of this group. Your child is encouraged to attend TATC meetings which take place every 6 weeks, so that they are involved in updating their current care plan. Your child’s contributions are listen to and taken very seriously. You will receive weekly progress updates from your child’s Key Worker within the care service.

Getting up

You child is woken up at the same time on weekdays and can have a long lie at the weekends if they wish.

Getting ready for school

Once your child is up and awake, it is time for them to have a shower, tidy their room and get ready for school.

Breakfast

We prepare and encourage your child to have a healthy breakfast every morning to give them the energy they need for the day ahead. We have a number of Breakfast Club activities which include dance and trampoline sessions and walking. These help your child become more energised and have a more positive frame of mind which helps everyone’s mood and learning.

The school day

Your child goes to School where there are 7 periods with a morning break and 50 minute lunch break.

After school

During the week after school, your child has ‘Free time’, when they can do homework, go for a walk, go swimming, play sports in the gym hall or relax in their house. We can also arrange for ‘home leave’ at the weekend as part of your child’s care plan. We have Supported Study sessions, and your child is encouraged to go to these as extra support is available for homework and any aspect of their stay. Each house has a weekly meeting to share ideas, make suggestions and discuss any concerns.

Evening meal

Your child will enjoy a nutritious, healthy meal prepared by our chefs with the other young people and staff in their house.

Evening activities

Depending on what your child and the other young people want to do, we have a mix of activities. Usually, young people like to do something active like go swimming or play pool. If your child is in the secure care service and their plan says they can have access to the community or ‘home leave’, this can also be arranged. Young people can go to our Youth Club, where they can help with planning the activities for the next few weeks. Activities are fun and help build skills for life, and range from quizzes and baking, to playing Rounders and creating music.

Supper

It has been a long day and we do not want to send your child to bed hungry! We encourage them to have something to eat before putting their head down for the night.

Bedtime

The time your child goes to bed depends on their age. They have some time to settle, and then we switch off their lights and TV screens in their bedroom to ensure they have opportunity for a full night’s sleep. We are aware that when it comes to getting to sleep, it may be difficult for some young people to stop their thoughts keeping them awake. They may find that doing some reading or watching a movie will help distract them from any worries or fears they may have. We help our young people find the right balance by providing set times to switch off bright lights and TV screens in their room.

During the holidays

At Rossie, we have a shorter summer holiday of 3 weeks. This enables us to split school learning into more manageable phases resulting in a higher number of holiday periods throughout the year. This ensures your child is not overwhelmed by too much formal learning. We may be able to arrange some home leave. If this is not appropriate, we will ensure your child is not bored. Each house has a ‘Holiday Planner’ filled with daily fun activities. Your child can choose what they want to take part in whether it’s a Pool tournament, going to the beach, a game of football or a movie night with popcorn.

We also have our hair and beauty salon which all young people enjoy. There is always something your child can get involved in educationally or just for fun.

On campus we have a gym, a swimming pool, cooking facilities and outdoor and indoor activities. Depending on your child’s Placement Plan, we can arrange for your child to engage in activities in the community such as going to the cinema, going shopping, sight-seeing or voluntary work.

We like to celebrate our seasons. In the spring and summer, we encourage our young people to take part in horticulture and outdoor learning as well as fun days out at the beach. In the colder months, we celebrate major events such as Halloween, Christmas, New Year and Robert Burns Day.

We also have strong relationships with organisations like Skills Development Scotland and Volunteer Action Angus. When your child leaves us, we make this process as easy as possible. They will be given an information sheet to fill out while they are here; containing all the information they need for their future. This includes personal and medical information, support contacts and help-lines. We encourage our young people to create and regularly update a ‘Memory Book’ of their time spent with us. This is something they can take away and look back on all of the positive experiences they had living with us. Lastly, we want your child to know that support is still available to them after they leave. They can contact us through our Throughcare Aftercare Facebook page. We love to hear about the progress they have made since leaving Rossie and we can also signpost them to any services they might need to help them further.

We will help and support them in lots of ways – but always at their pace. The help your child will receive is detailed in their individual plan – based on their needs, and this is developed with your child once they start living with us. Secure and Residential Care Each member of our care staff plays a part in the progress of your child. They are polite, friendly, respectful and firm when they need to be – all geared towards building a positive relationship with your child. Care staff will support your child through daily tasks, moving between placements, studies, appointments and anything else your child needs. See our Secure Accommodation and Residential Accommodation pages for more information.