Short summary

Action for Children supported 13-year-old Molly to improve her family relationships and attend school more often. By using Multisystemic Therapy (MST), the service worked closely with Molly’s family to improve their relationships and created a bespoke reward-based system, which incentivised Molly to attend school for the reward of internet access. Through the Family Fund, Action for Children funded a new internet package that could restrict internet to individual devices, which came as a huge relief to the family who were struggling financially. The family also received new school supplies through the Education Fund. As a result, Molly’s school attendance improved as well as her relationship with her family.

The full story

Thirteen-year-old Molly lives with her mum Rebecca and sixteen-year-old brother Kieran. Molly is undergoing the diagnosis process for autism. The condition affects her everyday life and has an impact on her mental health, behaviour, education and relationships.

The family was referred for Multisystemic Therapy (MST) with Action for Children through Molly’s social worker, because Molly was struggling with school attendance and family relationships. The intervention focused on building on the family’s existing strengths to support positive change in Molly’s behaviours.

With only 3% academic attendance for the previous school year, Molly’s lack of school time was difficult for Rebecca as a parent:

“Molly was trying to fit into the mainstream school, but her neurodivergent mind doesn’t process information in the same way as other children. Learning within that environment is a struggle for Molly because she can’t concentrate in a large group setting. Rules, crowds, and physical contact is overwhelming for her. Every parent wants the best for their child but when you see them clearly struggling, it’s frustrating.”

Molly’s mental health was deeply impacted, as she felt anxious and depressed about school. At home, Molly wouldn’t engage with her family, eat, drink, or leave her bedroom. Action for Children’s MST service suggested a reward-based system that encouraged Molly to attend school more often.

If Molly attended school, she would then be rewarded with access to the internet at home and getting her phone fixed, while if Molly refused to go to school, Rebecca would turn the internet off. This strategy improved Molly’s school attendance however, it also impacted the whole house. It meant that her brother couldn’t use the internet, and the doorbell and alarm systems were offline, which the family needed for safety and home insurance.

Lisa, Action for Children’s MST Therapist, suggested that the family switched internet providers to a new supplier, who offers a package that allows the user to turn off internet access for individual devices. This meant that Rebecca could specifically restrict only Molly’s internet access and not the whole house. Molly learnt that her actions were now only impacting herself and she knew that if she didn’t go to school that day, she would be the only one to lose internet access. This benefited the whole family as it eased tensions at home.

Through the Family Fund, Action for Children helped the family by paying the £180 difference between the contracts, which came as a huge relief for Rebecca.

“I felt relieved because it wasn’t another bill that I had to find money for. I didn’t have to look at my finances and think about what I could juggle and cut so that I could afford it. It was something that I didn’t need to worry about or had to justify for each month.

“The staff at Action for Children are fantastic! The impact that they have is life changing. It’s something that you can’t put a price on. Somebody coming in from the outside to make a bespoke plan for your family, that alters things ever so slightly, those little tweaks make such a difference.

“We’ve gone from having a house to a home. We’re now a family again, which for a long time we weren’t. We were cohabiters who existed within a house. Our future starts with a happy home and that’s what we now have thanks to Action for Children and Nationwide.”

Molly’s family has been finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the cost-of-living crisis. The family was struggling to receive the help from the local authorities which Molly needed, which forced Rebecca into privately funding the autism diagnosis so that Molly could be provided with the right support. This, in addition to rising costs, has put a strain on Rebecca’s finances.

“Life is tight at the moment. I’m cutting bills as much as I can. We’re on the basics of everything. I can’t imagine what we would do if the cost-of-living were to rise further. It’s affecting my mental health.

“We don’t have the money to buy everything we need. When shopping, most of the time not everything from the list goes in since it goes over budget.  I just make sure that the children have enough. It’s easier and cheaper to cook for two than it is for three, so I would skip a meal quite easily.”

Action for Children also funded school supplies through the Turner & Townsend Education Fund. Molly received new shoes, and her brother got a new backpack and socks that he needed to complete his college course. The financial support took some of the pressure off Rebecca.

“Receiving the support from Action for Children’s MST service and then the financial contributions really made a huge difference to our family. It felt like a weight being lifted off our shoulders.”