Guidance for Families

Aycliffe Secure Services is a group of four secure children’s homes. We care for 38 young people aged between 13 and 18 years. Many young people who come to us may be feeling sad, lonely, frightened, or angry, and this could be their first time away from home. What follows attempts to explain what we are and what we can offer your child.

Keeping in Touch

While your child is away from home they will be encouraged to keep in touch with family and friends by letter, by phone, and through visits. Contact arrangements will be agreed with youth offending workers, social workers, key workers, and your child. To contact us Tel: 01325 375600 and follow the instructions or alternatively our address is:

Aycliffe Secure Services
Copelaw
Newton Aycliffe
Co. Durham
DL5 6JB

Key Workers

Your child will have a key worker who is a member of staff who works closely with one or more young people. They will help your child settle in and introduce them to other youngsters and adults. Key workers act as focal points for all the things that will be happening for your child while they’re with us. They will be in regular touch with you to talk about progress, developments, or maybe problems.

Training Plans

We work with all the agencies that have an interest in your child, who is, of course, the focus of all our work. Training plans identify your child’s needs, and what might be done about them. We all aim for the best possible outcomes for our young people not only while they are at Aycliffe, but also when they move on.

Review Meetings

Young people who are looked after in Secure Services must have reviews to assess their needs, address those needs, and plan for the future. Planning and review meetings for young people placed by the Youth Justice Board take place after five days, and then at one month intervals. These meetings, to which you will be invited, are arranged jointly with the Youth Offending Teams.

Mobility

As part of their plan, most young people can leave the unit as part of their preparation for movement back into the community. These programmes are risk-assessed.

Education

All young people at Aycliffe are expected to attend school. Aycliffe has an excellent educational facility. Each youngster has their own personal programme that can range from basic skills to GCSE and even college.

Programmes

Young people are expected to take part in structured programmes of work aimed at changing their behaviour and increasing their skills.

Health

We are committed to providing the best possible health services for young people and have an agreement with the local NHS Trust to provide primary health care. We have doctors who visit us regularly, and nurses who visit us daily. Psychologists and psychiatrists help us if needed.

Smoking

Aycliffe Secure Services is a non-smoking environment, not just for young people but also for staff and visitors.

Bullying

At Aycliffe we have an anti-bullying policy that says that everyone must do something about bullying. Anyone can be bullied or bully other people. We do not accept bullying at Aycliffe. We can stamp out bullying if people talk about it. A recent top-level report about Aycliffe states that most young people staying with us feel very safe.

Listening to Young People

If you or your child are unhappy about anything or anyone while at Aycliffe Please raise the matter with the team manager. If a young person finds it difficult to do this on their own, then family or friends may be able to help. If this is not possible, they may need an advocate who can help them at court hearings or support them at reviews where sometimes they may feel unsure of themselves.

We encourage listening to young people in a variety of ways, including planning meetings, house meetings, and 'Investing in Children' groups.