A is still ‘mind blown’ that their Key Worker and #Focus5 could do this for them A was referred to the project looking to progress towards education, employment or training but due to their chronic anxiety, PTSD, autism and chronic pain this would need to be managed in small steps. A is very keen to…
Developing effective strategies to reduce the impact of anxiety This young person and her family recently moved to the area from London and were unfamiliar with local post 16 options and the transition process from Year 11. The young person suffers with a high level of anxiety which resulted in her not attending school and…
Happy Endings and Exciting New Beginnings When Key Worker Kerren started working with this young lady she had numerous health conditions that affect her mobility, to the extent that she could not stand for more than a few minutes. This affected her confidence, self-esteem and ability to do ‘normal’ activities that many young people enjoy.…
Harriet embarks on her journey to her dream job Following years of not attending school and coping with bereavement and trauma, Harriet and her Key Worker have embarked on the journey to Harriet’s dream of becoming a nail technician. Harriet was referred to #focus5 by her head teacher, at which point Harriet’s attendance was below 42%…
#Focus5 participant working towards launching a small business J was a NEET young person after struggling with undiagnosed autism in a difficult housing situation. He attained well at GCSE but lost direction for post 16 studies/work. He also had no access to funds as he had no ID or a bank account. He had a…
What has Matty our #Focus5 Partnership Coordinator been up to this month? My role at CSW as #Focus5 Partnership Coordinator involves liaising with youth community organisations, charity groups, housing associations and local authorities to publicise, increase awareness, and recruit participants onto the #Focus5 Project. Over the past month, I have been busy building relationships with the following…
Goodbye self-protective shell, Hello University. VS had always been prone to anxiety and although had successfully completed A-levels, during COVID restrictions her anxiety levels had increased, and she had gone into a self-protective shell and wasn’t really considering doing anything. Consequently, her mum referred her after chatting to the CSW transitions worker that is involved…
Young People Impact Key Workers Lives too The work done by #Focus5 it isn’t just the keyworkers who impact the lives of the young people we work with, it goes the other way too. Young people can impact our Key Workers lives in amazing ways. A young person working with Grace has taught her an easy strum…
“I’m in so much of a better place – Jenna” #Focus5 introduced you to rising star Jenna back in May with her song ‘Still Don’t Know.’ Jenna developed Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) and has been working hard on herself with her #Focus5 Key Worker to build her confidence and get more comfortable with her ticks. Things…
#Focus5: Lucy’s Story We are thrilled to be sharing the wonderful journey that Lucy has been on since working with us at #Focus5. She described herself as “literally doing nothing” when she joined the project in October last year but that couldn’t be further from the truth now. In fact, Lucy has been so busy…
The #Focus5 project in Devon, Plymouth, Torbay and Somerset: Working with vulnerable young people Taken from Tristram Hooley Career guidance for social justice Last week Oliver Jenkin discussed the Ambitions Project in Cornwall. This week he joins with Nee Bedford to discuss another project working with vulnerable young people in the South West of England. In the second of…
#Focus5 What do you do when you’re bored? For #Focus5 leaver, Molly, being bored meant applying for a job! Not a bad way to manage that tedium, right? We recently shared Molly’s success story but things have taken a new turn for her. Molly is now back living in Liverpool and has recently started her new job…
It doesn’t matter who you were, you can always be somebody else Moving to a new town can be a daunting task for anyone and for one #Focus5 young person it created quite a bit of disharmony. By her own admission, our young person isn’t the most sociable but that didn’t stop relocating from a…
#Focus5 scoops big awards at Green Impact ceremony At the start of the last year things were quite a bit different than they are now. People could still get together in large crowds, no one knew what a national lockdown feels like and CSW Group had just started the Green Impact initiative. A lot has…
