Ella is a Supervising Social Worker with us in our Norwich team. She has shared a case study with us on working with a young person over 10 years to support them in dealing with their needs, and a positive outcome for them after they turned 18.
I began working with CC in October 2017.
CC has significant learning difficulties and functions a lot lower than his actual age. Due to his high learning needs a plan was put in place for me to create activities which would involve CC taking part in everyday life tasks such as managing money, budgeting, healthy lifestyle choices, organisation skills and making his own appointments, time keeping, housekeeping skills and daily chores, meeting requirements and setting time frames.
Sessions began on a weekly basis and were later reduced to fortnightly with the intent for these to continue up until CC reaches 18.
CC works on his independence and life skills at college, at home with his foster carers, and through his sessions with myself so there is a consistent message and room for development.
CC has evidently shown throughout these sessions that he is unable to support himself without adult intervention.
However, the sessions have been really beneficial to provide evidence of CC’s current skills and how significant his needs actually are before reaching adulthood.
The work that we have undertaken has proven to very beneficial to CC and has given him a good understanding of adult life skills, however he is just unable to complete such tasks unaided.
The overall outcome of the sessions have given enough evidence alongside foster carers, college and social workers to provide CC with a referral for adult services, giving him lots of options post 18 such as; sheltered housing and supported lodging facilities for adults with significant learning needs.
Foster carers have been extremely grateful for these sessions and extra support resulting in them formally sending in a recognition of appreciation.
The work with CC continued up until June this year when he turned 18 and I helped to support CC with looking at appropriate accommodation options if needed post 18.
As our work together was used as evidence to support his needs post 18, he was successful is achieving funding from adult services and went on to an adult placement within a family home.
Nexus Fostering have been rated outstanding by Ofsted since 2011. If you would like to work with an outstanding agency to improve the loives of local young people, get in touch today.