Support area
- Care leaver
- Exploitation
- At risk of homelessness
Referral background
Carl was under the care of the local authority. He was referred to YMCA Wellington and District after spending time moving between hotels and being at risk of becoming street homeless.
Carl had been in the care system during his teenage years due to the breakdown in family relationships at home between him and his mother. Carl had also experienced Child Criminal Exploitation and county lines exploitation.
Support details
Carl moved into a YMCA Wellington shared property in November 2024. Carl’s named worker was the Youth Peer Support Mentor.
Carl initially expressed an interest in attending college but was unsure which courses he would like to do. He was also thinking about joining the Army as one of his long-term goals. Carl decided to defer these decisions until he felt more settled, giving him time to stabilise his mental health and living situation.
Carl was supported to open a benefit claim for Universal Credit and PIP, helping him to maximise his income and become more financially stable. This helped reduce the high-risk level of him becoming exploited if he was not in a secure financial position.
Carl’s mother was very supportive, and during his time at YMCA Wellington and District their relationship improved. A secondary impact of him being housed at YMCA was that his mum became more confident in providing emotional and financial support.
Carl’s Leaving Care Personal Advisor liaised with Carl’s support team regularly. This helped the team around Carl gain a better insight into how he had previously been exploited, and the signs to look out for to try and prevent it reoccurring.
Carl struggled with being prepared for the requirements of living in supported accommodation, including the expectations around engaging with regular support sessions. This required a high level of consistent communication from his named worker, and ongoing support around the expectations of him and what he could expect from YMCA Wellington and District.
With patience from staff, Carl has managed to sustain his licence at YMCA and has now been with the organisation for almost 12 months.
Carl continues to engage more frequently and has now also started opening up to other staff about things he needs support with. He has managed the planned transition to a new worker very well since the Community Foundation project funding ended.
Outcomes achieved
- Improved family relationships.
- Sustained housing.
- Improved financial position.
- Reduced risk of harm from Child Criminal Exploitation and county lines exploitation.
- Improved mental health and wellbeing.
Other services involved
- Leaving Care Personal Advisor
