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Shaun's Story

Shaun had been in care since the age of 14 and grew up labeled as a naughty child. 

Shaun’s son lives with his parents after a court decision of neglect and he is desperate to have contact again. To see his son, Shaun has to use a contact centre which costs £80 monthly. This was too expensive for his benefits to cover.  

He experienced mood swings and during Shaun’s initial assessment with hyh, he became very emotional. Shaun had already sent off a homeless application to the council as he was being evicted from multiple hostels for anti-social behavior.

Shaun informed hyh of his three goals: to have his own home, receive support with his mental health and to be able to see his son regularly.

To begin with, hyh contacted Shaun’s social worker to house him as a care leaver instead of using his homeless application. This led to Shaun moving into his own council flat.  

Shaun became increasingly more emotional during the initial months of hyh support and he informed us of his possible personality disorder. hyh immediately arranged an assessment which proceeded to therapy sessions. The sessions helped Shaun deal with his emotions and he reported feeling much calmer and his mood swings had stabalised.

hyh then supported Shaun to apply for a grant to pay for the contact centre costs which he is waiting to hear back from. In the meantime, he speaks to his son regularly over the phone. Also, as Shaun’s behavior is more stable, his mother invited him to his son’s third birthday party which Shaun is very excited about.  

Shaun has now applied to take his maths and English exams at a local college to improve his grades and chances of employment. He says he is in a better position to take control of his life and hyh will have a final meeting with him this month. He will be provided with an exit pack to help him stay on track and Shaun knows where to find further advice and support if he needs it.