We are thrilled to be awarded a grant from @CommsLinksBromley for our work with children and families exposed to domestic abuse in Bromley and we would especially like to thank the Direct Line Group who gave the money! Grants like this enable us to continue to provide both practical and emotional support as this case study shows.
Noreen was raising her 9 year old and 4 year old grandsons as their mother was unable to look after them due to addiction. Noreen was referred to Welcare by the school family worker, for Dante, the 9 year old, to access the MySpace program as he had witnessed domestic violence when he was living with his mother. Noreen also needed family support as she was struggling with managing Dante’s challenging behaviour at home and had expressed to school staff that she felt generally overwhelmed in her parenting of her two young children.
Welcare planned a number of interventions to help the family. Dante attended MySpace, a 12 week group course that provides a safe and welcoming space for children who have been impacted by domestic abuse to process, understand and manage their feelings. He met other children who had been through similar experiences.
Dante also benefited from having a male mentor which gave him the opportunity to explore new activities and to build his interpersonal skills and confidence. It took a few meetings for Dante to engage with the mentor but they established a rapport and formed a positive relationship.
A family support worker helped Noreen to manage Dante’s behaviour by implementing different parenting strategies and promoting clear boundaries. They also explored a range of different social activities that Noreen and her grandsons could engage in as a group as well as individually.
Noreen was encouraged to increase her social networks and meet other parents. She was able to build a strong network with several grandparents who were also raising their grandchildren, which surprised her as she thought that she would not find anyone else in similar circumstances.
Noreen’s feedback is very positive. Dante is managing his anger better and is able to calm himself down when he gets angry instead of lashing out. He is expressing his feelings more at home as well as at school and working with the mentor has increased his confidence and self esteem.
Noreen feels more in control of ‘what was happening in her life’ overall and feeling supported in her parenting of her grandchildren. She said “Welcare has really been a blessing to my family. I have seen such a positive change in my grandson and I am thankful for all of the support that I have received.”
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