Jake

Jake is two. He saw his sister as being his mum.

Jake lives with his mum, dad and older sister Caitlin. There is a history of addiction in the family which has had a huge impact on Jake and his sister. Jake’s mum suffers from physical and mental health issues and Jake’s sister has taken on the role of ‘mother’. She is seven.

His speech was very poor.

Jake’s house is chaotic and in bad need of repair; there are no safe places for Jake and his sister to play. Where they live is severely disadvantaged and rife with anti-social behaviour.

When Jake came to Barnardos, he was severally malnourished and his speech and language skills were very poor for his age.

His reaction to everything was to smile.

Jake would often play alone and he showed no emotion. His reaction to everything was to smile. He discovered that people rarely gave out to a smiling child. He would never cry, because he didn’t know how to. Jake didn’t understand the difference between happy or sad. Even the day he caught his finger badly in the door – he smiled.

Barnardos worked with Jake’s family.

At first Jake was reluctant to trust his Barnardos worker, Eilish but gradually he began to open up to her and they have developed a close connection. Eilish worked with Jake and his family to ensure the best outcome for them all. She worked together with Jake and his mother in special parent and child sessions to help them develop a strong bond. Jake’s mother is starting to understand how the interaction between her and Jake is benefiting his development.

With Barnardos help, Jake has been referred to speech and language assessment and the family have received support for psychological issues. Jake’s family are getting their lives back on track for the better.