Success Stories

Billie’s Story

Billie came to us in when she was 13 years old, having been subject to exploitation at the hands of an older gang since the age of 11.

When Billie arrived, she was withdrawn and frightened and did not want to open up to adults. Having been involved in a volatile adult world, Billie had forgotten how to be a little girl. She was struggling with her emotions and was unable to contextualise her experiences.

Billie joined us for short-term, 2 to 1 care, which meant she received intensive emotional support via our therapeutic approach, informed by multi-agency assessment. Our care team worked with Billie using our specialised ARCH programme of care, helping her to understand how to build trusting relationships and reassuring her that she was safe.

Through outdoor activities and alternative education such as trips to the park and spending time with animals, Billie was able to experience the freedoms and simple pleasures of childhood for the first time in many years.

Gradually Billie grew in confidence and began to feel able to open up. Her carers recognised that spending time grooming and riding horses calmed and reassured Billie, and this became her favourite activity. As Billie began to feel more at ease, carers gently helped her to understand the meaning of exploitation, and it was during an encounter with the horses that she was first able to communicate some of the things she had been through. Through our nurturing care, Billie had begun to feel safe and happy for the first time in many years.

Billie still had a difficult journey ahead of her as she came to terms with what had happened to her. However, the relationships that she had built with her carers, and the environment that had been created for her, allowed her to navigate this successfully. It was a pleasure for us to see Billie transform from a confused and guarded young girl to a confident and happy teenager.

When it came time for Billie to leave our care, we worked to find the best possible option for her future. With our support, Billie’s mother was able to relocate so that Billie could return to live with her.

Billie is now happy and settled with her mother and in her new community. She is attending school full time, has made many friends, and is enjoying new hobbies. Most importantly, she has learnt to be a child once again, and is able to look to her future with positivity and confidence.

It was a pleasure for our staff to see Billie transform from a confused and guarded young girl to a confident and happy teenager.

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What Others Say About Us

I am truly taken aback by the level of care you have shown. The staff have gone out of their way to show him the attention and care that he has never had. When I visited him, it was like I was looking at a different child to what he was before he came. He was not like a child in care, he was like a child in a family. You have literally saved his life.

Social Worker

All children and young people thrive, and they make progress while living at the home. Because of the services provided the children and young people experience an individualised, stable and consistent home life. Children and young people benefit from the integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to education and care. They each achieve their full potential and, in many cases, do so beyond previous expectations.

Ofsted

I am so grateful to the AWW team for their dedication and commitment to caring and supporting Sam. He recently reported that being at there gave him the space to think and the opportunity to reflect on his attitude and make plans for his future.

Social Worker

I have to share my delight at Luke’s progress at AWW. Thanks to your support, in the last 17 weeks Luke and has turned his life around significantly. From where he has come from to where he is now, I am so proud of him.

Social Worker

The placement was really good and beneficial to me. The staff were all really supportive and nice and always made themselves available to me if I had any problems. The outdoor activities that were offered helped me to have a better outlook and showed me that I can do so much more in life, and it really helped me process and made me feel like a better person.

Child

As METCO Officer for Cumbria Police I have regular contact with the team at AWW in relation to vulnerable children at risk of CSE and going missing. If a specific incident has occurred, the Home Manager and I speak on the phone to discuss the best way forward. She also attends CSE risk assessment meetings and we receive Philomena Protocol forms when a young person arrives in placement.

Cumbria Police