Sarah: Sarah is six. She is a funny, clever and caring child. Until two months ago she lived with her Mum who suffers from depression and has a drug addiction. Unfortunately home life became so bad that Sarah was going to be taken into care. Her attendance at school became patchy and she was withdrawn when she did attend. Her grandmother stepped in and now Sarah lives with her. Gran lives on a state pension and receives no financial help for Sarah and has to make her pension stretch to feed and clothe Sarah.

We provide play therapy for Sarah to help her explore and make sense of her feelings of abandonment, loss and anger toward her mother. Sarah has also taken part in an animation group organised by With Kids which produced a DVD which helped boost her confidence and esteem. Her school attendance has improved remarkably and she is back to playing a full part in the classroom. Gran is receiving support in coming to terms with caring for her grandchild, financial/benefits advice, and contact with other kinship carers. Her confidence has grown and she feels less anxious about her new role as principal carer for Sarah.

Gill:  Gill is 24 and lives with her 3 children –Michael (6), Jodie (3) and baby Ellie who is 6 months old. Just recently Gill also became the carer for her brother and sister Jack and Annie, aged 6 and 8 because her mother is an alcoholic and the children were not being cared for. Gill’s toilet is leaking and she needs to have this repaired and replace the flooring. This will cost her £150. Because she is coping very well with her expanded family there is no financial help available to her. She is struggling with getting the repairs done or buying food for the children. We think she should be able to do both. The children are unsettled and fearful for the future.

With Kids is working with Gill’s children and her younger siblings to help them make sense of what is a very confusing situation, providing group therapy and befriending services.

We are also assisting Gill to maximise her income, ensure that necessary repairs are carried out. Volunteers are working in the house carrying out redecoration.

The immediate situation has improved and the children are more settled and looking to the future with more confidence.

Maria  Maria moved to Scotland from Uganda six months ago with her husband and young son. Following several episodes of domestic violence Maria moved into homeless accommodation with her son (2) and her new baby. She receives no state benefits and lives on her child benefit allowance. She managed to find part time work but still does not have enough to live on. When the baby was born she didn’t have money to buy a pram and was unable to leave the house with her two young children.

With some help from us Maria now has a pram and can visit the local park as well as carry out the usual household tasks. We have also introduced Maria to one of our volunteers who has befriended the family to help her explore her new surroundings, understand what is a strange culture and begin to feel at home in Scotland. Maria has also begun to attend our some of our groups and has made friends with some of the other mother's.

McLeod Family:  There are five children in the McLeod family. Two are in care and three under 7 live with their Mum, Maggie and her new partner. The family lived in a cramped flat which is too small for their needs. Maggie has fairly serious mental health problems and so struggles to keep their house organised and tidy. Only recently her electricity supply was cut off because she hadn’t paid the bill. The children were living in a freezing house with no heat, light or hot food and were dressed in unsuitable clothing.

With Kids has provided volunteers and the house has been decorated and furnished, routines have been established and Mum is becoming better at managing her weekly budget to meet the needs of her children and new more suitable clothes have been provided. The family will need help for some time to come – sometimes we’ll help with child care and at other times it might be putting some money on the power card to make sure the children are kept warm. Maggie receives ongoing emotional support and attends one of our weekly groups. She also has taken advantage of the relaxation and massage sessions that we run and this has helped to lower her stress levels.

Stephen: Stephen is seven. He has two brothers and an older sister. His Dad is in prison – the latest of a long string of sentences which have meant he has been absent for most of Stephen’s life. Stephen struggles at school. He is often very anxious and will run from class to find somewhere to hide whenever he feels unable to cope. He worries about his Mum and sometimes this takes up so much of his thoughts that he is unable to listen to what his teacher is saying so his school work is falling behind the others in his class. He knows that if his Mum can’t cope he might be taken into care like his cousin. He doesn’t want to leave his family. Mum relies on Gran to help her cope with the children but Gran is elderly and very frail. Stephen supports a local football team and enthusiastically talks about the day he might go to a match.

With Kids provides Stephen with play therapy which offers him an opportunity to express and work through his feelings in a constructive and positive manner. Therapy focuses on his feelings of loss regarding his father and provides a environment where he can make sense of his emotions.  Support has also been offered to his mum and gran to help them look at their relationship and how this impacts on Stephen.