Eighteen-year-old Cindy* was caring for her two teenage brothers after their father had died. Her mother was not around due to addiction. Her brothers, Jim* and David*, relied on her for all their meals, household maintenance and education support. Jim, who was in his early teens, needed additional support in relation to his Autism and select mutism. Both Jim and David had poor school attendance. Cindy was struggling to pay the rent with the money from her part time job. The family was at risk of homelessness.
Joanne*, Barnardos case manager, came to support the family. She worked with Cindy to build her independent living skills so she can provide care for her brothers and keep the family together. Joanne educated, modelled, and practiced skills with her until Cindy was confident to perform these skills on her own. She helped Cindy to budget so that she could afford groceries, bills, and other essentials.
Jim needed to be supported in maintaining his medical and disability support appointments, so Joanne arranged meetings with Jim’s NDIS providers. She attended these meetings with Cindy until she was confident to arrange these on her own. Joanne also facilitated meetings between the school and Cindy so that they could address her brothers’ school attendance. Jim and David were each given a bike so they could travel independently to school. Joanne helped Cindy develop menu plans and cooked with Cindy to ensure the family had healthy meals and lunches for school. Cindy learnt about expectations in maintaining a rental property so that they could remain in their home.
Cindy and Joanne worked together for ten months. By the end of the ten months, the family no longer needed support. Both brothers were engaged with the local Barnardos youth group and continue to have an ongoing relationship with Barnardos should they want additional support. Cindy is independently supporting her brothers with their education, health and basic needs and the siblings were able to remain together having learnt new skills and built a greater support network. Cindy now has recommenced studying and has a part-time job. The future is now looking much brighter for Cindy and her brothers.
*Stock image: Models used for illustrative purposes and names changed to protect privacy.