Mum, Steph, and her son, Liam, aged 6, were referred to Welcare by their local authority.
There was history of domestic violence from Liam’s father to Steph, which Liam had witnessed. Both mum and child needed support in overcoming what had happened to them and mum needed help to create a safety plan if there were any future threats from dad. Although the parents were now separated Liam was continuing to see his father, and Steph wanted support around co-parenting and for Liam to have emotionally beneficial contact with his father when it took place. As well as supporting Liam’s relationship with his father, Steph had her own mental health needs, and needed support with this, as well as help with building confidence and self-esteem and creating a wider support network for her and Liam. Liam has cerebral palsy and both he and his mum needed support with his transition to Year 2 and help with creating a weekly routine so that they both felt comfortable and prepared moving into the next school year.
At the beginning of Welcare’s involvement, Steph worked with our Family Support Worker to create a safety plan to manage any risk of future domestic violence from Liam’s father. With this support, Steph now feels confident enough to ensure that she reports any risks, and thus is able to keep herself and Liam safe, particularly when Liam sees his father.
The Family Support Worker worked with both Steph and Liam’s father to explore new co-parenting strategies and both parents were signposted to Welcare’s Keeping Your Child in Mind course – a 4-week parenting course that helps parents learn new ways of understanding their children’s behaviour, learn how relationships impact children, and how to work together to have a calmer and happier family dynamic. Following Welcare’s support Steph shared that Liam had been having contact with his father, but it was still inconsistent, and dad had frequently been requesting to return to the family home. Steph decided that she did not want him to return to the family home as she did not want to pursue a relationship with him but was keen for him to be involved in Liam’s life. Although this has been difficult, Liam’s father has begun to contact him more frequently and regularly calls him in the mornings on the way to school.
With Welcare’s support, Steph has begun counselling. This has given her the opportunity to prioritise her own mental health and explore her own needs, meaning that she is now able to maintain her focus and ensure that she can meet Liam’s needs more positively. Steph and Liam’s relationship has improved, and Steph now understands that Liam likes to express his thoughts and feelings through talking through his favourite toys or speaking to Siri (Apple technology AI assistant).
During the time Welcare worked with the family, Liam was diagnosed with ADHD and is now receiving CAMHS support, as well as medication to help manage his ADHD. Both Steph and Liam’s school have noticed a significant difference in his ability to follow instructions and focus, and this has helped Steph to create a new positive weekly routine, and for him to be able to settle well into his new school year.
As a result of being supported by Welcare, Steph says she is feeling much better in herself, and accessing counselling sessions has allowed her to sleep much better and have more energy. She feels that she and Liam have adjusted to it being ‘just the two of them, and they have a strong bond.’ Steph has been in contact with some of her friends over the phone and through Facebook and feels that they will continue to support her and Liam.
