Family Stories

Valsala came to this country on a student visa and into a marriage that was arranged by her family. The relationship with her husband quickly became very unhealthy as he was emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive towards her. Her husband refused to let her leave the house to attend her studies. Valsala was brought to safety by a local Domestic Abuse charity but was left feeling traumatised and struggling with low mental health. She had no friends, family, or support network other than the PMH team.

Valsala was given a volunteer, Jennifer, who has made an enormous difference in her life. They quickly built a good relationship and Valsala put a lot of trust and faith in her. Jennifer gently encouraged her to get out of the house, first on walks around the local area, building up to children’s centre sessions. Jennifer accompanied her on challenging trips to the solicitor which was located far away. Most importantly, she gave emotional support and confidence boosting to help her recognise the incredible job she was doing as a new Mum. Valsala was almost evicted around the time of her baby’s birth which impacted hugely on her, but Home-Start were there to support her through it all.

Valsala also received a huge amount of support from her co-ordinator. The family were placed on a Child in Need plan and the co-ordinator was a driving force in the meetings, advocating for suitable housing and support. The co-ordinator also completed a huge amount of work finding support agencies regarding Valsala’s complicated immigration status. Her son is now 7 months old and thriving.

Valsala said that she now feels so much more settled in her home and in the local area and understands where she can get support from. Her application for Asylum is proceeding well. She regularly attends sessions in the children’s centre and is expanding her support network.

Emily recognised that she had been subjected to some difficult experiences in her life as a child and this was impacting on her abilities to cope as an adult.

Emily’s volunteer, Magda, came alongside her during the Child in Need process and helped her to understand why some concerns were being raised. They worked together to tackle the house and Magda supported Emily to make sustainable changes with how she manages day-to-day tasks. Magda also spent time modelling play and interaction with the children and supported Emily to find ways to respond to her children and meet their differing needs.

At the end of support, Emily felt that she was much more in control of her environment following Home-Start intervention and said it would be much less likely for the house to go back to where it was. Emily reported that she found it so easy to talk with Magda and that she was so grateful to have the opportunity to talk about the difficulties in her life to someone who was not going to judge her or think less of her as a Mother.  Emily also loved to see the bond that Magda built with her children and felt that this helped her feel closer to her children.