What was the situation?
When Lilly’s family were originally referred to School-Home Support, the family were homeless. They had to move around to different temporary accommodation, one of which was 27 miles away from Lilly’s school. In some of the temporary accommodations, there were no cooking facilities and Lilly’s parents were unable to provide low cost food for the children and themselves. Due to losing their home, the family had also lost many of their belongings, including clothing and school uniforms.
With the long and expensive journey to school, it was often too difficult to get Lilly and her siblings there. Lilly’s attendance had fallen to just 66%.
How did School-Home Support help?
School-Home Support Practitioner Claudia accessed support from a local housing charity to relocate the family to a new address that was much closer to Lilly’s school and their support networks. The travel to school is now much easier, and Lilly’s parents are able to travel with the children to school. Although they are still very worried about their housing situation, the family have been given an extension on their temporary accommodation which has eased some of the pressure. Claudia is in regular contact with the housing officer to help the family communicate, especially as the housing insecurity has taken a toll on the whole family’s mental health, and Lilly’s dad in particular was struggling to understand the concept of being homeless.
Claudia provided support around morning routines, to help get Lilly and her siblings ready for school earlier and relieve stress in the mornings. Through the School-Home Support Welfare Fund, Claudia secured monthly travel passes for the whole family. Claudia also purchased new school uniforms through the Vanquis School Uniform Fund, and provided food bank vouchers.
Claudia regularly liaises with Lilly’s school, and works with the school Welfare Officer and Attendance Lead. With support in place, Lilly is now attending school more regularly, and her parents feel more confident engaging with the school around her learning. Claudia will continue working with the family to settle them in a more permanent home that is close to school, and to continue building on Lilly’s attendance improvements.