Afamily comprised of Jude (mother) and Tom (son) were referred to us with concerns around mum’s struggles to manage on a very low income, and Tom’s school attendance and behaviour. They were also housed in unsuitable and insecure accommodation. They lived with Tom’s grandmother, who wanted them to find somewhere else because of his behaviour. He was withdrawn and had bursts of uncontrollable anger.  Jude was not able to afford a private rented property and couldn’t apply for social housing as she had previously made herself intentionally homeless.

Tom had missed some schooling due to illness. He would often arrive late due to living some distance from school.  He struggled with reading, writing and in making lasting friendships – both in school and at home. He made little effort in many of his subjects and wouldn’t complete homework.

We worked with both Tom and his mum to help them overcome their interconnected difficulties. Our support worker helped Jude with budgeting and supported her paying off her bills and debts.

Eventually we managed to secure a suitable new home for them which was close to Tom’s school.  We supported Tom in transitioning to secondary school where he was able to receive effective pastoral and teaching assistant support.  His attendance and attitude significantly improved, and he no longer suffered uncontrollable outbursts of anger. He settled well, built one or two stable friendships and started to enjoy school a lot more.

After completing a ‘Triple P’ parenting programme, and with the support of our worker, mum was able to implement better strategies at home with positive new routines and boundaries.   Jude grew in confidence and in her ability to manage Tom’s behaviour. With a more settled family and school life, we were able to close our file on the support needed.