What was the challenge?
When Jenny first came to Glow, she was 5 months pregnant and was homeless. After leaving her violent partner, her sofa surfing quickly didn’t work out, leaving her feeling helpless on what to do. She had 4 children with very limited contact to them, 2 young daughters living with her ex-partner’s mother and 2 older sons. She had a conviction for possession with intent to supply a class A drug, and, with a previous heroin addiction, was on a daily script methadone programme.
Jenny felt isolated, having limited contact to her immediate family and only some contact with her partner’s mother. She had a history of very violent relationships with several partners and had visible scarring from the physical abuse and suffered from mental health difficulties from emotional abuse.
Without a fixed address, her benefits had been suspended, and, because of her current circumstances, her unborn baby was on a Child Protection Plan with a high possibility the baby would be removed at birth.
Desperate to keep her baby, Jenny needed support to help her find accommodation urgently and help with her physical and mental health needs. The Glow team needed to work quickly to find a support plan that addressed all of the different concerns she had urgently.
How did glow help?
The first step was addressing Jenny’s immediate care priorities, sourcing accommodation and financial support. Through Glow’s guidance, Jenny was able to reinstate her Employment and Support Allowance as well as her Housing Benefit. Next, the team worked in collaboration with the local substance misuse agency to arrange a daily methadone script and support with her overall health concerns. With her housing, financial, substance and health circumstances improving, the team worked with social care to monitor and reassess the Child Protection Plan in place, with a successful outcome of helping Jenny to keep her baby.
Once the baby was born, the team wanted to focus support for Jenny both in her role as a mother to a newborn, as well as provide support to help her address and overcome her experiences with abusive relationships.
Through the children’s worker in the refuge she was residing in, Jenny was able to access emotional support and advice when needed, and the support team helped source donations for items like a brand new cot and moses basket.
Through our courses at the Sunrise Centre, Jenny completed Freedom and Parenting and Recovery Toolkit, giving her knowledge and skills for the future, as well as confidence and self esteem that she can make the appropriate decisions for her and her baby’s safety and wellbeing.
What was the impact?
As a result of our team’s support and Jenny’s cooperation:
- Jenny adhered to her Child Protection Plan and was able to keep her baby
- Jenny left her refuge accommodation and resettled into the community
- Jenny is completely off her methadone script
- Jenny’s self-esteem and confidence has increased
- Social care involvement with the child has stopped
All names have been changed to protect the privacy of our customers.