“Chloe engaged really well from the beginning. We developed our relationship through understanding how she had found herself in this position, and what she hoped to achieve in the future. Chloe was full of self-doubt and lacked confidence in her ability to turn her life around, but was clear that she needed to put her children first and provide a positive future for them.

We agreed to set clear short term goals, and review them regularly. An activity Chloe engaged in early on was developing the garden which was just concrete. We planted herbs and salad vegetables as well as planters filled with beautiful flowers. Chloe was, and is, really proud of what we achieved in such a short time, and is going to continue to develop her skills in this area.

The nurturing of plants showed what a nurturing personality she had and proved how the work put in early produced fabulous results when the summer arrived. This enabled me to relate this work to the raising of children. As Chloe grew in confidence she began to understand why she had made the decisions and mistakes she had previously. This provided her with the opportunity to envisage a clearer path ahead and with support, plan how she was going to achieve the ultimate goal of having both her children living with her, even if one of them was part time.

Through commitment and hard work Chloe’s case was reduced to Child in Need and is due to be closed. She will continue to work with a Families First Practitioner to support her parenting. She has contact with her daughter for full weekends with a view to increase that will allow her to drop and collect her daughter from school; a role that she sees as important.

Chloe is due to move on into a Doorstep family house and is hopeful for the future. We have spent some time reflecting on the previous 8 months and how far she has come. Her journey still has a long way to go, but hopefully she has the confidence and ability to continue and achieve her ultimate goal of having both of her children full time.”