This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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First secure unit for girls
25/04/2005
Work begins today on the first ever girls only unit at
the Good Shepherd Centre in Bishopton, expected to open by
the end of 2006. It will provide 18 secure places and six
close support places for vulnerable young girls who have
been referred there on offence or welfare grounds by the
Childrens Reporter.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry, who today cut the
first sod at the site of the new development, said:
In March 2003, the Executive announced a national
redevelopment and expansion of the secure estate to provide
an additional 29 places for young people. The Good Shepherd
Unit is the second new secure development underway in
Scotland and will for the first time provide girls only
accommodation within the secure estate.
Once open, it will help us improve highly intensive
support for troubled young girls to reduce the risk they
present to themselves and to others. Staff at the unit will
give them the guidance they need to get their lives back on
track and the girls will also benefit from the units close
proximity to the already successful Good Shepherd open
school.
This will enable the unit to provide greater continuity
of care within and outwith the secure unit, and ensure the
girls who are referred to the unit are better supported in
their move back into mainstream services or their local
communities.
I would like to wish everyone involved in this
development every success. Working together, we can create
a modern secure estate with modern support services for
young people, both to turn their lives around and help us
create a safer, stronger Scotland.
In March 2003, an increase of 29 places to the secure
estate was announced, increasing the bed numbers to 125.
Once complete, by the end of 2007, the estate will consist
of:
24 mixed at St Philips, Airdrie (new provision)
18 girls only at Good Shepherd, Bishopton (new
provision)
18 boys only at Kibble, Paisley (new provision)
18 mixed at Rossie (reduction of seven)
31 mixed at St Marys Bishopbriggs
12 mixed, Edinburgh Units
Four mixed at The Elms, Dundee
Work began at St Phillips School in August 2004. Good
Shepherd is the second new development for which work has
now commenced.
The Good Shepherd Centre is an independent school which
provides education and residential care for girls with
significant emotional and behavioural difficulties, and
currently provides 30 residential and 30 day places. The
Good Shepherd Unit will be based next to the school.
Close support places offer high intensity,
residential-based support for the very vulnerable, but do
not result in the young person being locked up. The
security is instead provided through the relationships
built up with the supervising staff. This type of support
is usually provided either to avoid a young person going
into secure or alternatively as a pathway out of secure
where a high level of support is still required.