Guardianship Scotland: Wellbeing Project

The children and young people we work with have experienced multiple traumatic events. Many have experienced persecution, exploitation, violence, torture, abuse, displacement and loss.

Guardianship Scotland's Wellbeing Project provides culturally sensitive therapeutic and psychoeducational groups, activities and workshops for unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people and victims of trafficking in Scotland.

We work in partnership with NHS Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service (The Anchor) in the delivery and development of our Allies group programme. The partnership was developed to offer unaccompanied asylum-seeking and trafficked young people an alternative and/or addition to mainstream psychological services and to provide a much-needed shared space for young people to find mental health support. The Allies program is positioned within Tier 2 of the NHS pathway, offering specialised therapeutic intervention and community-based support tailored to the needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. This program ensures that participants receive structured mental health support that is more intensive than universal services but less intensive than highly specialised inpatient or intensive community treatment services.

Allies: The Allies Project is a 10 week psychosocial group for unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people accessing Guardianship Scotland. The group is psychosocial, building and resourcing both individual and community resilience in the face of the multiple traumas and losses these young people have faced. The Allies group programme teaches young people coping strategies to help them manage symptoms of trauma, anxiety, stress, and tension. It helps them understand how their experiences as an unaccompanied asylum-seeking and/or trafficked child impacts their feelings of safety, relationships, identity, and access to justice. We support young people to acknowledge their strength in what they have already faced, which we believe is critical for their future growth and development. We help them reflect on their past, while identifying their strengths and aspirations for the future.

The group builds on the trauma-informed practice of Guardianship Scotland, which embeds the principles of safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, peer support, and cultural humility in all its work. It builds resilience and supports recovery by being a strengths-based programme, acknowledging the survival skills of young people, increasing their social support and opportunities for community integration, and sharing psychosocial skills and expertise through a partnership with a specialist trauma service.

Sleep Workshops: A set of three workshops to support young people to develop healthy bedtime routines and understand that might be preventing them from getting a good night’s sleep focusing on sleep hygiene, creating a safe space and managing trauma symptoms.

Art Club: A six-week creative group which offers young people a space for them to build feelings of safety and trust and to make art as a way to find relief from worries and stresses. The group also provides time to be with others and lessen feelings of isolation and can be a stepping stone for young people accessing other interventions within the Wellbeing Project.

Relationships Group: A six-week programme unpicking various aspects relating to gender, sex and consent, supporting young people to build healthy and nourishing relationships with themselves and those around them.

Girls' Group: A fortnightly group which provides a wellbeing space for young women to meet together, help encourage their involvement in wider participation activities and build their confidence.

If you are interested in learning more about the Allies project, please read our full evaluation report or evaluation summary

Allies project - full evaluation

Allies project - evaluation summary

If you would like further information on any aspect of the Wellbeing Project or you would like to discuss making a referral, please email wellbeing@aberlour.org.uk or call 0141 445 8659