When I was younger I lived with my family but I had to leave. I stayed at a number of foster homes which didn’t work out for various reasons and then eventually got a place at a children’s home. I stayed there for about a year but I ultimately had to move on because I was about to turn 18. I still needed ongoing support so Social Services referred me to Transform. The children’s home was the first place I’d felt stable and safe in a long time, so moving to Transform was a daunting prospect.
Here I feel stable and secure again, and I have consistency which is really important to me. I am feeling more hopeful about my future.
My keyworker Hannah has helped me with so much, I would have struggled on my own. She has helped me sort out the benefits I was entitled to, get the right mental health assessment and support I need. She has also helped me get funding for a Dyslexia Assessment which meant I could get extra support at college. This really took the pressure off at a very difficult time for me. Hannah even came with me when I had to have an operation under general anaesthetic. I was really worried about going and having no one there to support me, but Hannah was there to hold my hand – literally!
I have made so much progress since coming to Transform – in other places I’ve lived I always worried that someone would say I was going to have to move at any point. Here I feel stable and secure again, and I have consistency which is really important to me. I am feeling more hopeful about my future.
My dream is to become a Forensic Scientist so I want to go to University to study Forensic Science. I’ve received conditional offers on all the applications I made which is so exciting! Without the support, stability and consistency I’ve had with Transform, I’m not sure I would have got this far in my education and this close to my goal of going to University.I was worried when I moved here. I know other people thought I might fail when I left the children’s home but Transform has helped me fulfil my potential. Without them things could have been very different for me.
Victoria was quite quiet to start with. She was very guarded and found it hard to open up generally. This was made worse when she was in new situations with new people. Since then I have supported her through college and with all the complicated things that go with that. I have also helped with her emotional and mental health needs through our keywork sessions.
I have seen such a change in Victoria. She is so much more open with me now, and although she still finds it hard to discuss her feelings, it’s far easier now than it was. It’s a valuable opportunity for Victoria to experience a mature and trustworthy, adult relationship.
Her confidence has grown to a point where she is able to attend appointments and meet professionals with very little support from me, which is great! She has also been able to open up to me about things that she wouldn’t normally talk about which is a huge step.
Looking to the future, Victoria has recently been given conditional offers from all of the universities she applied for – I am so happy for her! As long as she continues working hard, I have no doubt she will reach her goal and have a very successful career.
We are pleased to confirm that Victoria received the grades she needed to go to university and will begin her course in September!