One of our social work assistants started working with a young person weekly to focus on positive relationships, feelings, and online safety. We started the Real Love Rocks project in April, this project focuses on feelings, bodies, brains, positive and healthy relationships, and online safety. At this time, the young person did not want to engage with the SWA, and his future aspirations were to sit in his bedroom and play the PlayStation forever. This young person also struggled to talk about his feelings, he had struggled with hygiene and having positive relationships at home and school. During this time, the SWA spent time building a relationship with the young person alongside working on the Real Love Rocks project, she spent time trying to understand the reasons behind the young person’s anxieties about his future.
Fast forward 6 months of weekly support, the young person has completed all his practice mock exams at school, which is a huge achievement as 6 months ago he was spending a lot of time outside of lessons and his relationships with his carers and teachers has improved. On top of that, he recently attended an engineering apprenticeship evening where he has displayed interest in doing an engineering apprenticeship after finishing his GCSEs. One of the biggest struggles for this young person was talking to adults about his future, he used to become very anxious. However, at the engineering apprenticeship evening, this young person spoke openly to the recruiters, spoke about his interests and what he is currently doing for GCSEs. After the event, the young person felt really proud of himself and said he feels positive about his future.