When I was asked to write an update on the progress of one of my service users L, I have to admit I was reluctant. This is because on the face of it, she has not made much progress. Just to recap, L is the youngest and possibly the most complex of our service users. She spent most of her adolescence in care and later developed an addiction to heroin and crack after having to give up a daughter for adoption. L experiences anxiety, panic attacks, depression and possibly other undiagnosed mental health conditions.
Because of the above I suggested to L that she have a mental health assessment. Due of the lack of engagement with her GP I referred her directly to mental health services. She was due to see a doctor along with a social worker as the first step towards being supported for her mental health issues. On the day of the appointment I tried to telephone L in order to remind her but there was no answer. I waited at her temporary accommodation as arranged but she was not there. I finally managed to get in contact with her on the phone and she said she was at the other side of the city. She was crying and shouting that she needed to get to the appointment. I contacted mental health services and they actually offered to change the venue, so she only needed to walk a short distance. When I finally met up with L she said she had forgotten and couldn’t go because her leg was hurting, she needed a Subway and had not made enough money from begging. She was shouting and even blaming me for not reminding her, despite my attempts to call that morning. L’s behaviour can be extremely challenging and even frightening to passers-by. I told L that I would cancel the appointment and we would discuss it another time and left feeling deflated.
After reflecting on this I realised that L was throwing up problems and placing barriers in the way of her going to the appointment. I believe that For Everything A Reason and based on the conversations I have had with her previously, this was down to FEAR. L knows that accessing mental health support will probably involve addressing the things that happened to her when she was locked in her room for hours as a child…things can I can’t really bring myself to write about and you probably couldn’t bear to read. Due to her seeming lack of progress and unwillingness to engage with support, other services would have closed her case months ago. I met with L a few days later and I told her that even though she was clearly angry, Simon on the Streets was not going to stop working with her. She replied ‘I’m not going to fall out with you over that’. I believe this response came out of the relationship I have built with L over time. Because of this relationship I was able to explain that I found her behaviour extremely challenging and we talked through the reasons why this occurred, and what can be done in the future on both sides to prevent this from happening again. We also agreed to adapt her support plan and focus on her immediate needs in order for her to become more stable before addressing some of the underlying issues when she is ready.
When I reflect objectively, L has made progress. When I met her she was not engaging with anybody at all and did not believe that anything would ever change for the better, causing her to reject every suggestion. She was in relationships with men based on the exchange of commodities (food and shelter for heroin and crack) rather on love because she was scared of being alone. L is now in temporary accommodation because she is no longer living in FEAR of what will happen to her when she is by herself. She is accepting help with claiming benefits, but more importantly she is starting to talk about what she wants for the future and taking the first small steps towards this. I am proud to work for an organisation that refuses to give up on L, no matter how long it takes for her to get where she deserves to be.