George’s Story
George came to Greenfields with a history of fire setting, aggression, unauthorised absence and being on MAPPA.
The objective of the placement was to meet George’s ongoing and complex needs in a safe and therapeutic environment, whilst supporting him to comply with the requirements of the court to meet his Supervision Order and address his offending behaviour by engaging with offence-related therapy and the Youth Offending team.
At the beginning of his placement he struggled to live within a routine, maintain an acceptable level of hygiene, eat healthily, and attend education. But with very close supervision, nurturing care, understanding and clear boundaries, George started to grow to be a happy and positive young man who attended school and therapy, conformed with the risk management measures, and maintained very restricted supervised contact with some members of his family.
During one of his reviews he was asked why Greenfields worked for him while other placements did not. He replied that he felt ‘accepted, respected and not judged’.
At his last review in 2012, the following outcomes were reported:
- George never left home without permission
- No required use of physical intervention
- Has taken responsibility for maintaining the home
- Has enjoyed successful unsupervised contact visits with family
- Has tried out a variety of activities
- Has avoided becoming involved with other residents’ challenging behaviour
- Has developed confidence to stand up to unfair treatment
- Abides by boundaries to keep him and others safe
- Abides by ‘return times’ when on free time
- Has not got into trouble whilst on free time
- Has learnt to budget to make his money last the week
- Attends college with no problems and is achieving at college
Following a successful therapy programme, college attendance and working within the boundaries and restrictions placed on him, George proved that he could move back to his hometown to live with a family member, attend further education and live as a socially responsible person.
The Local Authority later commented that the ‘magic of the home, its setting, its boundaries and overall total unconditional regard for this young man were a great recipe for success.’