Dave, 57 from Stockton first came to see Rachel Ness, FamilyWise Coach at Five Lamps in November 2012 with a number of barriers, surrounding mental health issues, social inclusion and skills.
Dave had suffered with mental health problems for a number of years and at times felt very lonely, isolated and lacking skills.
Through their regular appointments, Rachel encouraged Dave to do a Personal Development course, an employability skills course and he is soon to start Food Hygiene and First Aid.
Dave said
“Sometimes I still have bad days, and having suffered from depression for a number of years and being stuck in all day on my own, I would tend to talk too much when meeting new people and frighten them off. But since joining Five Lamps, I feel this has improved and I have enjoyed doing these courses and meeting new people”
Five Lamps have supported Dave through the FamilyWise project. FamilyWise supports individuals and their families on their road towards work. Each individual is assigned their own personal Family Coach who works with them to assess their needs, both personally and as a family. The Family Coach also links with other organisations who may also be involved to ensure the support received is joined up and best for each individual’s needs. The Family Coach also work with all members of the family to agree a plan of action for the family as a whole – a Family Pledge.
FamilyWise is funded from the European Social Fund Support for Families with Multiple Problems contract