The secure care service has 3 houses named Beauly, Carron and Deveron. The residential care service has 3 houses called Annan and Esk, and a traditional-styled family house called Forth House. Annan and Esk provide our young people will what we call ‘close support’, which means they are more closely supported by staff. You’ll notice a link between the house names – they are all named after Scottish Rivers.

All our staff are caring and encouraging – we treat every young person with respect and dignity. We believe every young person has their own unique value.

Rossie operates for 365 days of the year, and on a 24 hour basis. We make sure you get good nourishing food and fashionable clothes which you help chose. The main services we provide for you are care, homely accommodation, education, psychological support, health services and throughcare services.

You may have come to us by a decision of the Children’s Hearing System, or even by the Sheriff Court. Our role is to look after and support you and help you return to live in your community again.

When you first arrive, we understand you may be frightened or anxious and will not know what to expect. We want to get to know you, your likes and dislikes and if you have any special health issues. To do this, we will ask you different questions which then help both you and us work out a programme which will help you settle into Rossie. It is very important that you do well and are happy while you are living with us.

To do this, we will ask you different questions which then help both you and us work out a programme which will help you settle into Rossie. It is very important that you do well and are happy while you are living with us. Click here to see a typical initial assessments journey.

You can personalise your own en-suite room to your taste and staff will help you. Each room also has a chalkboard-painted wall, where you can freely express yourself. We encourage you to display pictures of family or friends or art work so that you will feel relaxed in your bedroom.
The rest of the house has a large shared living area, kitchen, dining room and games room. Each house is decorated individually and with a cosy, homely feel – there are nice bright sofas, cushions, rugs – and of course there is a big TV.

We know that you can get angry, upset and frightened at times and that you may lose your temper. Our staff can help you make sense of these feelings and help you learn better ways to manage your behaviour. We have lots of good ways to help you understand some of the things which have happened to you.

All of our secure houses have locks on all of the doors, how your lock is used depends on your behaviour and the house you are in. Your bedroom door will be kept locked when you are in it and during the night for your safety. We also lock all doors within the secure school to make sure everyone is safe during the school day. Our residential houses have locks on some of their doors to help keep you safe and to protect your privacy.

These staff will work with you, your family and social worker. The Team Around the Child also includes your key teacher, your Specialist Intervention Service worker and the Nurse Practitioner. All staff are there to help you progress and achieve your personal goals. You are at the centre of all work at all times and your views are valued.

All of our staff play a part in keeping Rossie a great place to stay where you can grow, learn, thrive and have fun.

We grow a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables which are delicious! Our ‘Garden Kitchen’ is a special project and something you may like to get involved in.

We will also make sure that there are lots of fun things to do which you can take part in. The daily structure means you will have a strong daily routine to help with school, eating and sleeping patterns. Click here to see a typical day at Rossie.

The visits normally last an hour; however we are flexible if your visitor has travelled a longer distance to get here.

Depending on your plan, we can also arrange for you to spend time with your family in the community.

We make sure all your visitors feel welcome and offer them food, tea, coffee, juice or water.

We have a great dance studio with a qualified instructor who will teach you how to dance. We also have outdoor education and other fun subjects. We have a hair and beauty salon and therapists come in and do your hair the way you like it, as well as make-up and massage. On campus, there is a gym, a swimming pool, a games hall and woodlands surrounding Rossie. We want you to be involved in as much outdoor activities as you want.

Our beautiful woodlands make up around 150 acres meaning you can explore local nature and wildlife. Our Forest School gives lots of opportunities to get involved with the outdoors such as woodland games, art, shelter building, collecting firewood and creating music in the woods! It’s another element of your education where you can enjoy being outdoors. We believe you can have fun learning while being outside.

We make sure you have been given a tour of the school you will be going to before you start attending classes. You will have plenty of opportunity to meet other young people and your teachers so that you are comfortable to start learning in Rossie. The classrooms are colourful and full of learning materials.

Your key teacher will work with you one to one and help you achieve a lot of things. There are friendly classroom assistants who you can chat, learn and laugh with, helping you through your day at school.

When you come to live at Rossie, our number one priority at all times is to keep you as safe as possible.

We believe you are already succeeding in your daily tasks in many ways. For example, you will take care of your room, attend school, learn new and better ways of behaving and have fun doing activities during your free time. You are responsible for maintaining these successes. All Rossie staff will help, support and guide you to continue to be successful. Our system allows you count your daily successes – these are then counted as a weekly average. These are of course celebrated with rewards such as increased pocket-money and extended power time to your room before bedtime.

Bullying can happen in different ways and can make someone feel uncomfortable, excluded, scared and ashamed. Bullying is different to friends falling out or having an argument. We have lots of people on-site who you can talk to if you feel you are being bullied. We also have staff from Who Cares? Scotland, who are independent to Rossie staff, to help you if you feel you are being bullied.

We regularly have Compassion and Anti-bullying weeks to teach everyone about the effects of bullying, and what we can do to treat each other well.

External Support

National Bullying Helpline | 08452255787 | www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk

Who Cares? Scotland | 01412264441 | www.whocaresscotland.org

ChildLine | 08001111 | www.childline.org.uk

Help and Support
Every young person should be aware of their rights as a young person in Scotland. Rossie aims to put into place the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These rights cover all areas such as the right to be treated with respect, regardless of race, age, gender, sexuality, disability or religious beliefs.

Childline – www.childline.org.uk | 08001111
Childline is a 24 hour service that provides support and advice to young people about a bundle of things ranging from bullying and abuse, to your feelings, body and school work.

The Mix – www.themix.org.uk | 08088084994 | Message
The Mix is a support service provided to people under the age of 25. They give advice on current issues young people may be facing, from loneliness, to sexual harassment occurring at events such as music festivals.

The best way this team can get to know you and your goals is by asking you to fill out a ‘Throughcare Web’. This helps you set goals and track your progress – if you feel you are not making progress with one of your goals, staff will give you extra help.

When you leave Rossie, we have a Throughcare Aftercare Facebook page and you can stay in touch with us if you would like to. We encourage you to stay in contact with us through our Facebook page as we want to know about your life when you leave and how you are getting on. We can also provide you will more help and advice through this page even though you have left us.

If you need extra support, our staff are there to help and guide you. You can also contact Who Cares? Scotland for extra help and advice.

Who Cares? Scotland | Advocacy Service to children and young people | www.whocaresscotland.org | 01412264441