Our client found out about the Community Family Support Programme and the services we offer from a flyer, we had distributed to local community groups. On first connecting with client J, the Family Liaison Officer from People 1st could tell that despite struggling greatly with with confidence, mental health, and personal circumstances, she was still passionate about moving forward with her career and life and craved help and support to aid her goals. However, the client struggled a lot with her mental health, and as a young single mother of a young child, this had an impact on her a lot more than she had imagined.
The People 1st team worked closely with this client to devise an action plan and worked on goal setting, from this they were able to work out where her passions lay and how to start working towards them with the right support, including workshops, direction and help provided by the Family Liaison Officer.
As client J struggled financially, she was afraid to step into education or work, as she was the sole carer for her child. After many conversations with her and addressing her anxieties around financial restrictions, the Family Liaison Officer facilitated a ‘better off’ calculation- looking at various outcomes financially depending on how many hours worked, as well as looking at options for childcare and the impact this would have. Together, they put this into her action plan to build confidence in moving forward and breaking down barriers.
The Family Liaison Officer and client J talked about goal setting and talked about her dream of working in childcare and learning to drive. These were part of her short term and long-term goals which she ideally wanted to make progress with as soon as possible. With the support from the team, this client has now enlisted to start driving theory classes provided by people 1st, plus she is thriving in a placement that People 1st CFSP found for her, working voluntary in day nursery setting 6 hours per week. Allowing her to continue with her own responsibilities and limiting the impact on her income yet enhancing her self-esteem and confidence. This in turn allowed her to develop some skills in childcare without the pressures of employment as this stage.
The Family Liaison Officer then passed client J over to get specific employment support with the Employment Engagement Officer in People 1st, and from this she was able to progress further with her goals. After taking on board was able to take on board her barriers and goals and discovered opportunities that J would not have found or known how to deal with had she not enrolled with People 1st CFSP.
Through combined support and guidance from the team, client J was able to progress into education through the CFSP programme and has secured employment. By working closely with the Family Liaison Officer, this client was able to dismantle the negative belief systems that were fuelling her lack of confidence and begin to move forward onto a new path with renewed self-belief.
The client had aspirations of working in childcare and was doing a six-hour voluntary placement through a local employer, working in their childcare department. As client J had limited experience in this field, she felt unable to progress but was really passionate in exploring career options and employment given the chance and support. Her CV was not detailed enough and did not show her skills and experiences clearly and would impact on progression of career as interviews would have been limited, if not non-existent. This client was also unaware of her transferable life skills and had concerns regarding childcare for her own 2-year-old son which made her unsure of options to move forward. We could see that client J was stuck in a rut, and not really pursuing anything structured and unsure of the impact on her, including her responsibilities and income.
The Employment Engagement Officer looked at options to gain employment with a childcare provider offering suitable hours and set about building a new CV. Plus, after this we contacted some local childcare employers who were advertising positions, to see if they could offer an opportunity to client. This brought about interviews for client J when she was ready to move forward. However, she still had reservations regarding her income and the capacity to provide security and stability for her son.
As mentioned client J had been taking part in a voluntary placement, and unfortunately the organisation was not able to offer employment to J due to funding limits, resources and other commitments in the business and community.
It was identified by the Employment Engagement Officer that client J was in the eligible age bracket to take part in a fully funded Apprenticeship, which she was totally unaware of, as was the organisation. We therefore were able to approach the employer, discussed the Apprenticeship programme and how it would work and explained about the funding available for them, especially the financial package as an employer, if they took this client into employment, for 21 hours or more per week.
This has allowed clieny J the opportunity to move into a paid role that she loves and gain industry recognised qualifications in the childcare sector at Level 3. This in turn allows the client to further her career in the sector, whilst learning the skills and taking part in the qualifications required to be in her current post and aim for supervisory roles in the future when she is ready to progress.
Client J stated, “You have totally changed my life and the support I have received has been priceless. Without the help and support from the CFSP Team, I would never have known I could complete and Apprenticeship or have found the job I so really wanted”
If this client had not connected with CFSP through the flyer, then she would not have known about career development, childcare processes, the benefit of working and increased income, and the fully funded Apprenticeship pathway. She would not have had the confidence to apply for jobs with the CV she was using or the ability the recognise the transferrable personal and workplace skills she has developed over the years. Her self-belief and her self-respect has increased and her abilities and aptitude has been recognised. Her family is on the way to being financially secure. This programme really has been a life changing process for her, and the Community Family Support Programme team are delighted to have been able to help.
