Case Study 9
Reason for the referral
Molly lives with her mum and younger brother who has been diagnosed with ADHD. She and her mum were regularly subjected to verbal and physical abuse from her brother. The family have had 3 referrals made to social care arising from the behaviour of Molly’s brother towards her and her mum.
Young Persons background
Molly is a 9 year old girl living in social housing in Northwich with her single mum and younger brother.
Issues prior to service engagement
Molly was regularly subjected to physical verbal abuse by her brother. This forced her to seek shelter in the under stairs’ cupboard. Molly was attending the same school as her brother which often led to confrontation with other children at school seriously affected her friendships both in and out of school. She responded by not inviting friends to her home through fear over her brother’s behaviour towards them. This in turn led to Molly feeling unloved and that she was being overlooked by her mum due to the attention her mum was focusing on her brother. She worried for her mum’s safety causing Molly to experience anxiety and worry.
Support offered by Cheshire Young Carers
Molly has been attending fortnightly group activities within her local Cheshire Young Carers group in Northwich. She finds the sessions fun with her keenly taking part in a variety of activities including dance, arts and crafts, drama and sports. Molly was also invited to take part in half-term half day sports day led by professional instructors from Greenbank Sports College held at the local Brio Leisure centre in Northwich. Here she engaged in Para-Olympic Games such as Boccia, indoor curling and sit down volley ball. Transport to and from both regular sessions and extra activities has been provided for Molly by Cheshire Young Carers to avoid a potentially disruptive and stressful experience for her, if she had to be dropped off and collected by her mum and younger brother.
Within regular sessions Molly has access to Cheshire Young Carers staff and volunteers who can offer her emotional support and other help as and when needed. In addition, Cheshire Young Carers Caseworker participates in the TAF process for Molly and her family providing feedback on her engagement and progress via Cheshire Young Carers activities and sessions.
Outcomes
Molly recognises that she has somewhere she can regularly go to socialise with peers and experience a variety of activities, away from her brother. This has helped her feel she is important and has a right to have a life of her own. Her stress levels have reduced boosting her resilience and the ability to cope with family circumstances.
Spending time with her peers, taking part in team games and activities in a fun and exciting way has helped Molly have childhood experiences others would take for granted. She is making new friendships, improving her communication and social skills raising her self-esteem and personal confidence.