Claire’s story
Claire* was omitted to hospital 10 years ago and was diagnosed with mental health issues, personality disorder and schizophrenia. She had a history of abuse from different people including relatives and as a result of this could be on occasions quite violent towards others.
Before Claire officially moved into The Whitby Scheme, a transition process was put in place where she would stay at the site for one night a week for a month, this was to get her adjusted to a residential setting as opposed to a hospital. It also helped her get used to the staff and the other residents at The Whitby Scheme.
Once Claire officially arrived at The Whitby Scheme, it was clear the biggest challenge for both herself and staff to overcome was Claire’s constant desire to approach people which left her vulnerable, especially if she was out in the community. As well as this, Claire was originally not
engaged with staff or interested in developing her daily living skills including budgeting and cooking, and instead would withdraw to her bedroom for the majority of the day.
The staff knew how important it was to get Claire out of her bedroom and used constant encouragement and support to try and gain Claire’s trust, which after a short period of time helped her to leave her room. She also received one-to-one support and daily meetings with her key worker which gradually helped Claire to settle at The Whitby Scheme and become more engaged with the daily living skills activities using step-by-step programmes. Claire was especially interested in developing her budgeting skills so staff would print off Claire’s bank statement on a weekly basis which she enjoyed receiving, especially seeing her money grow. She has now even managed to save £600.
Staff would also concentrate on reducing Claire’s vulnerability. To achieve this, staff would get Claire to observe how they would act in certain situations so she could learn from the staff she trusted. They also constantly reminded her about her vulnerability and provided examples, especially when they were out in the community.
Claire’s outcomes
Since Claire has been at The Whitby Scheme she has progressed and further developed her confidence. She is now doing her own cooking and budgeting, and even has a voluntary job at the local animal sanctuary, which would have been unimaginable six months ago. She has also started a creative movement course at the village hall which she attends one day a week for the next two months. Claire even won a local disco competition which she proudly shows off the trophy to her other housemates.
*Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.