One of our youth workers shares the story of Claire*, and the support she got from us when she needed it most.
Claire is 12 years old and lives at home with her mum and sisters. Her mum’s health problems means that Claire sometimes has to care for both her mum and her sisters.
When Claire was first referred to Chance UK, there were concerns about Claire’s use of social media, her self-esteem was very fragile and she also had low attendance at school. She had difficulty with making friends and this was making her anxious about going to school.
When we started mentoring, we worked a lot on Claire’s identity and accepting who she is, as well as positive affirmations and self-care techniques. At first, Claire was very shy and apprehensive about speaking to me. So I had to do a lot of the talking. However, as we got to know each other, Claire opened up more and more every week. She started to share her concerns with me and tell me about her daily life. It made me proud to see how much she was willing to get to know me and share with me.
Over time, Claire started to realise how important self-care was and learnt to be proud of herself. She started to feel able to ask for help when she needed it. Claire has now finished her mentoring and is about to go to a new senior school.
*Names and images have been changed to protect privacy
