It is a priority to ensure that young people are safe. We know that this is also very important to parents and families. There is often a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety when there are plans for a young person to be placed in a residential school or home.

Adults at Starley Hall are trained to manage difficult behaviour. The adults have many years of experience and have a wide range of skills. We take time to understand behaviour, because it is way of the young person communicating a need.

We are constantly reviewing our policies and procedures.

We also pay a lot of attention to making checks about our practice. The Care Commission and HMIe carry out regular inspections.

parent and child play in the field
  • You can ask about any aspect of our work so you can be reassured that we can keep your child safe.
  • It is important to be clear about rules and expectations.
  • We also talk about consequences - some people think of these as sanctions. Consequences mean that we highlight how it is better when young people are involved in resolving a problem.
  • We have a very clear and robust recruitment policy. We ensure that all adults have a Disclosure Check before starting work with us.
  • All teachers are trained and registered with the GTC. We are in the process of ensuring all adults in the care team are qualified and registered with the SSSC.
  • We work hard to understand behaviour
  • All adults receive regular training to ensure they can uphold our Child Protection procedures.
  • If it is ever necessary to hold a young person it will be to prevent someone hurting either themselves or someone else. Adults can do this safely.
  • We have good links with workers from Children's Rights and Who Cares? Scotland. We support young people making contact with any adult they believe can help them.
  • The articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are important in our work. These are the most important set of rules ensuring that your child's rights are protected. We also abide by the Care Standards and other statements.
  • We want to have close links with social workers and others who can make the placement of any young person more beneficial.