Person’s Story

No stable home

Preparing for GCSEs is an important stage in a young person’s education. Whilst it can be a stressful time for many, it should also be a time of optimism and excitement for the future. For D’Andre, this was a period of uncertainty and instability. D’Andre’s mum had just entered a rehab facility and D’Andre was moving between extended family members’ homes. Even with help from the hyh hardship fund, financial worries meant no one in D’Andre’s extended family could commit to giving him a permanent home. 

Whilst D’Andre had been living with his mum and her violent ex-partner, he had faced domestic abuse. His trauma had left him with anger and trust issues. D’Andre had lost contact with his dad after an argument and, because of his trust issues, found it hard to imagine patching things up with him.

hyh mediation

We felt there was hope that, with our support, D’Andre’s relationship with his dad could be repaired. D’Andre has often felt let down by the adults in his life and trusting his dad enough to try and rebuild their relationship made him feel vulnerable. But he agreed to try. 

With the go ahead from D’Andre, we reached out to his dad who agreed to give mediation a go. Our goal was to develop trust and good communication in their relationship and, if all went well, explore the possibility of D’Andre living with his dad. 

After just six weeks of support from our mediation team, the news we had hoped for came through – D’Andre had moved in with his dad.

Following his passions

After spending over four months in a stable home with his dad, D’Andre has made incredible progress. With his dad’s encouragement, D’Andre has begun to think about what he wants to do next now that he has nearly finished his GCSEs. Through our time getting to know D’Andre, it had become clear that he cares deeply for animals, and we urged him to follow this passion. D’Andre has now applied for a dog grooming course and is excited for this next step. 

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