Hattie’s Story
Case study from April 21, 2020
Hattie is 14 and lives with her younger brother Henry and their mum. Their main financial income is through Universal Credit. Hattie was referred to SHS due to her behaviour in school, she was known to talk back to teachers and use inappropriate language. It appeared she was struggling with friendships and was unhappy at school.
The SHS Practitioner spent time getting to know Hattie and her mum. It became clear that Hattie was finding it difficult to control her emotions and anger. She also had no aspirations for the future which meant she was not achieving in school. Mum was also struggling with self-esteem and a lack of aspirations herself. Through work with this family, it became apparent that there had been domestic violence in their background. Mum and both children had been badly affected.
The SHS Practitioner got to work; mentoring Hattie on her mood swings and anger management, work focussed on developing Hattie’s self-confidence and positive thinking. Mum was also supported to improve her mental health and develop her resilience. The SHS Practitioner took the whole family to a college open day which offered Hattie the chance to find inspiration and her Mum the opportunity to sign up for an NVQ Level 2 course she was interested in.
With SHS support, Hattie’s behaviour began to improve in school and she now has an idea what she wants to do when she leaves school. This new attitude was beginning to be reflected in her behaviour and grades at school. Mum now has a bigger support network by meeting people on the courses and was hoping to start her college course in April. This encouraged our SHS Practitioner to close Hattie’s case.
However, as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, their plans were put on hold and the family is again in need of support. Hattie is having difficulty accessing the work she must do for school. They had also relied on free school meals. Our Practitioner has been back in touch and is now providing vital help to ensure things don’t regress. Access to food and the motivation to continue to learn are key priorities.
SHS intervention has ensured food parcels were provided from the local food bank, and our practitioner has dropped off work for Hattie and her brother from the school and given the family challenges to complete over the coming weeks to help maintain focus and purpose. With our support, this family will get the help they need to be independent and resilient. We will continue to support Hattie and Mum so that when school reopens Hattie and her brother are in school ready to learn!