Seamab is a specialised residential resource supporting children and young people who have not managed to maintain a place within a mainstream setting. There are a variety of complex reasons why this is the case and we help these young people to feel safe, happy and secure within Seamab.
At Seamab, our homes are carefully designed to reflect a homely, comfortable, welcoming and nurturing environment, enabling the young people in our care to feel safe and cared for. We have everything that you’d expect to find in a modern family home. Our homes have subtle adaptations and features to make the spaces ideal for the children and young people in our care.
At present, we have three houses within our care campus and one service which is situated in a small village near Linlithgow. At Seamab, we are committed to our children feeling they can live here for a long time without having to endure further transitions. The new service opened in June 2023 and is designed to house four children who will live with us until they are 18 years old. We provide this service in line with The Promise:
"Scotland must limit the number of transitions for children." (The Promise, 2020)
Each home is unique and has its own style to suit the needs of the young people living there. Each child/young person is supported to design their bedrooms around their own interests. We have climbing frames, blackout spaces, swinging baskets and creative lighting, the rooms of our children and young people reflect a space that is calming and special to them. Our homes offer spacious and comfortable living areas, communal dining rooms, quiet spaces include sensory resources to support the needs of the children and young people we care for.
We understand the value of outdoor living space and the impact it can have on physical and mental wellbeing. That’s why, at Seamab, we make the most of our surroundings and enjoy the great outdoors. We have large open safe play areas and exciting woodland all on our doorstep. With staff trained in specialist areas such as bush-craft, we provide a fairly unique offering at Seamab. Our approach and love of the outdoors at Seamab is core to our delivery model. Children and young people embrace the challenges and adventures we provide and our children, young people and staff make amazing use of the outdoor space we have. There is a belief within the team that “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”.
At Seamab, we believe that all children and young children deserve the best chance to grow, develop and thrive. We create environments that empower the children and young people in our care to develop their social, emotional and independence skills that prepare them for the future. Our children benefit from therapeutically-informed care underpinned by resilience, nurture and attachment theories. This foundation provides an understanding of the challenges being faced by our children and young people. It allows us to explore trauma through the use of storytelling and with an appreciation of the impact of previous life experiences. We focus on creating a secure base, where children can feel safe and learn, grown and develop in an environment that places their needs at the centre.
Multidisciplinary teams are made up of highly skilled and experienced individuals, all of whom are committed to caring for and improving the lives of our children and young people. As an organisation, we are committed to creating staff teams that feel nurtured, supported and have opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills throughout their employment. This ensures staff can understand the range of needs of our young people, and are diverse, adaptive and dynamic in their approach to supporting the children and young people in our care.
Our residential homes are supported by our therapeutic team who work closely with care staff to ensure the needs of our individual children are supported. Through a process of ongoing multidisciplinary assessment, each child and young person receives a bespoke package of care that supports a range of varying circumstances that are unique to each young person.
Love and nurture
“Staff provided children with a nurturing environment based on empathy, compassion, love and fun.” Care Inspectorate
There is a belief at Seamab in the importance of the opportunity to develop genuine loving relationships for children and young people living with us. This is something that cannot be forced but is achieved through supporting our residents to form positive attachment with the adults and peers in the setting. This in turn supports a feeling of safety and provides opportunity for better understanding of their needs.
Affection and nurture are important in the development of a child or young person. We believe in hugs at Seamab and hugging a child or providing an appropriately supportive cuddle in good and bad moments, can be powerful and meaningful. This extends to times where a young person may be particularly upset or distressed – at these times of challenge we transmit a message: that we are there for them and we won’t give up on supporting them.
Play
Play represents the foundation from which much of the support and work develops within Seamab. We believe that play is a prominent tool in supporting children and young people to heal, grow and learn. When arriving at Seamab, whether as a child, young person or adult staff member this is key tool we draw upon to support the development of trusting relationships.
Play at Seamab is mostly about having fun, but through this there is an opportunity to develop social skills, build confidence, formation of identity and development of risk competence.
Resilience building
“A culture of ambition and celebration encouraged children to strive and achieve success” Care Inspectorate
Risk taking forms an important part of the development of children and young people, offering an opportunity for them to develop competence in making decisions and build their capacity to be resilient. Within our environment children are exposed to healthy risk taking which can be a new and rewarding experience for them.
The safety that our environment provides great opportunity for young people to develop relationships and to build friendships. The environment also allows space for children to run, climb trees and be free in a way that they may not have experienced. From this safe space they can develop the skills and confidence to engage within the wider community.
