“I’m a single mum to five children and things have been really hard. I was struggling to make ends meet with reduced child benefit and Universal Credit, and the stress of managing my finances was taking a toll on my mental health. We don’t have enough room at home so I have been sleeping on my couch with my youngest son. It’s been exhausting trying to get all my kids to school each day.
Robbie, my 6 year old son, didn’t want to go to school and sometimes I just didn’t have the energy to force him to go. His teacher had been in touch, but I just felt judged for not being able to get him there so I didn’t respond. I had been fined and this made things much worse as I really couldn’t afford it.
Then I was introduced to Julie, who explained she worked for School-Home Support. She wanted to get to know our family and see how she could help.
I was wary at first, but she helped me switch my energy bills to a fixed direct debit and this made everything much easier to manage. We set up a debt repayment plan too, which has been a huge relief. I didn’t feel judged by Julie, she just wanted to help me get everything sorted.
I couldn’t believe it when Julie was able to get me a new bed so that I didn’t have to sleep on the sofa anymore. I feel much more on top of things now that I have been able to sleep better. I’ve been able to get into better routines at home, and Robbie is making it into school more often. He’s starting to enjoy it more and doesn’t refuse to go as often. I understand now why Robbie’s school was worried about him, and now I have Julie as a friendly face at school, I feel much better speaking to his teachers.
Step by step, I feel like we’re getting there.”