Hillside is a Children’s Home, and has been part of MacIntyre since 2013. It is home to five young people, all between 13-17 years old. Mornings here are just like every other family home up and down the country - busy, familiar, and full of its own little routines.
By 7:15am, Hillside gently wakes up.
Conrad* is often the first one up. He’s usually awake around 6am, so the team have reshaped their sleep-in rota to make sure someone is around early, ready to support him if he needs it. This morning, he’s already finishing his toast.
One by one, the rest of the house springs to life. Each has their own way of easing into the day. Rachel likes to watch a little TV before sorting her own breakfast. Marcus arrives next, followed by Santino with his yoghurt. When he realises he’s run out of strawberries, he adds it to the shopping list for later. Meanwhile, Abdul is getting himself dressed upstairs.
It’s ‘organised chaos,’ Duane, Hillside’s manager, jokes.
The staff team - three from Hillside and two Learning Support Assistants from MacIntyre School work side-by-side to help everyone get ready. By 8:30am, bags are packed and it’s time to head off. A short drive later, everyone arrives at MacIntyre School, ready to take on the day.
At school, we spend some time with Santino and his support worker, Saffron.
First up, is yoga, but it turns out Santino isn’t in the mood to do yoga today, and instead heads for a circuit session. Saffron joined MacIntyre in 2024, after years teaching in mainstream schools, and hasn’t been working with Santino for very long, so the both of them are getting used to each other and finding their rhythm together.
Santino's personalised support plans help him and Saffron understand when he needs time and space to regulate, before he goes off to music therapy, and we head back to Hillside.
In the car, Duane talks about how the team encourage young people to try new things.
“It’s about positive risk taking*, Duane says. “If you don’t try, you don’t learn. We show people how something can be done we don’t just tell.”
Hillside runs like a real family home. The young people help with bits of cleaning, especially at weekends, and each person has their own scrapbook or life book capturing their achievements over the year. The team is warm, diverse and still growing, colleagues from India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and England, most quite new to Hillside but already bringing fresh energy.
By 3:30 to 4:00pm, the school taxis pull up outside again. Afternoons might mean activities, planning for Duke of Edinburgh trips, or simply unwinding. Like any home, every day is a little different, but the goal is always the same: to support each young person to grow, thrive and feel settled.
Looking Ahead to Christmas
Christmas at Hillside starts early the lists are already being written, and the young people are chatting about decorations and lights. For some, Christmas means travelling home; for others who can’t be with their families this year, the team are already thinking about ways to make it extra special.
The house embraces all kinds of celebrations, from Thanksgiving to cultural diversity days, and Christmas is no exception. Lights will go up, the tree will be decorated together, and handmade decorations will appear throughout the house. There’s also a lovely tradition of delivering Christmas cards to neighbours, a simple way of building community and sharing a bit of Hillside’s warmth.
There’s so much pride in the small things: watching someone become confident enough to take part in an overnight Duke of Edinburgh trip, or seeing Santino travel home to London for a birthday meal with his family, something he hadn’t felt able to do for a while. Christmas is another chance to recognise these moments, and to wrap the season in a sense of belonging.
The Heart of Hillside
Hillside’s staff team is around twenty strong, with a mix of day staff, waking nights and sleep-ins. Many of the team are well established, and Duane is passionate about giving people room to lead and grow. There’s a sense that everyone brings something unique, and that the house works best when everyone pulls together.
“We’re a sum of our parts,” Duane says and while he’s talking about his team, it feels just as true for the whole house.
From adapting support for Marcus as he settles in with ARFID, to learning how Conrad uses the minibus as a sensory space, to helping Rachel shape her own morning routine, the team’s strength lies in noticing the little things, and in celebrating them.
*Names changed
