Background

J (aged 16) had been under a Care Order with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, since he was a child, residing with family members and in residential care during this time.

When referred to the Bail Supervision Scheme, professionals were very concerned about J’s offending behaviour. On several nights each week, J would steal cars and joyride around the city with his friends, putting himself, his friends and the public at undue risk. He was also breaching his court enforced curfew and various bail conditions.

Intervention

In the early stages of MST treatment, J’s caregiver changed, and he moved in with his grandfather who he had not previously lived with.

The MST Therapist worked with Grandad to assist him to understand how incidents build and to gain a better picture of what was driving J’s behaviours. Grandad, with the support of the MST Therapist, developed expectations and strategies to manage J’s identified behaviours. This introduced a level of predictability and structure for J as well as motivating him to change his behaviour.

When the MST Therapist began working with the family, J had not been attending school regularly for several years and it was considered, given his age, a training course may now be more appropriate for him. The MST Therapist supported J and Grandad to prepare J for an exam which would allow J to obtain his Safe Pass Card. This card is a mandatory requirement for anyone wanting to work in the construction industry which J had expressed an interest in.

To enhance J’s employment prospects in the future, the MST Therapist supported Grandad and J to apply for a course at a local training centre which would better equip J for the working world, teaching him skills which could eventually lead to employment.

Towards closure the family and the MST Therapist spent time developing a meaningful sustainability plan to support J and his family to sustain the gains they had made during MST treatment, so that these gains could be maintained into the future after MST treatment had ended. 

By the end, of treatment J had successfully interviewed for the local training course and been offered a place which he was scheduled to begin in the Autumn of that year. Grandad had also done very well in managing J’s behaviour and by the end of treatment J had moved away from negative peers and not offended in 7 months.