Autumn Appeal
Sarah didn’t even have her own bed
At just four years old, Sarah was often left spending all day sitting in their tiny flat, watching telly. She never went to the park or played with other children her age, which meant she wasn’t developing her social skills.
Little Sarah was referred to Barnardos because her mam, Jennifer, had been struggling with her mental health for a long time and this was clearly having an impact on Sarah and her development. Physically and emotionally.
Even though she was weighed down with that worry, and wanted to be there for Sarah so badly, Jennifer’s mental health struggles often made it difficult to get out of bed.
Sarah and her mam just needed some support and because of your generosity, the Early Years’ Service was there when they needed them.
When we first met Sarah at the Early Years’ Service, she struggled to communicate her feelings. She had a hard time sharing with the other children and didn’t know how to ask for what she wanted, instead, she would just grab and scream. She hadn’t spent much time with other children and had had nothing to learn from.
While on a visit to Sarah’s home, we learned that she still shared a bed with her mam, money was extremely tight and Jennifer hadn’t been able to save up for Sarah to have her own. We knew it was important to help Sarah to get her own bed. Having a place that was her own is so important and would help her to relax and regulate herself. I think you can relate yourself to how important it is to have some me time, and that’s just as true for a four year old.
We worked with Jennifer to set up a savings plan and thanks to some help from a kind donor like yourself, a few weeks later Lisa was sent a video of Sarah jumping up and down on her new bed. The joy on her face was so magical!
Will you make a gift today to help more children like Sarah get the support they need?
Please, donate today to support Sarah, and so many children in similar circumstances, on the long road ahead.
Sarah’s project worker also worked with her using the “Just Right State” Programme which helps children learn how to self-regulate, and manage their emotions, through the use of sensory activities like painting which they’ve been using to help Sarah communicate her feelings and learn to regulate her emotions, in an age-appropriate way.
Sarah and Jennifer are making so much progress, but they still have a lot of work to do. The type of adversity that they have faced, and still live with, cannot be transformed overnight. They will always live with and be affected by their experiences but thanks to you, they are readier than ever to face what comes their way.
Your kindness has helped over 26,000 children and families across Ireland last year and I cannot thank you enough for that. You have enabled so much great work to be done, like helping families process and recover from traumatic experiences, providing warm, nutritious food for little bellies, and supporting parents in giving their children the best possible childhood.
Barnardos needs to be there for every family that needs them and it is only with your help that we can continue to do so. Each year, more and more families like Sarah’s are coming to us in need of help, just last year alone we had a 25% increase in referrals compared to 2022. We want to ensure that we can be there for them through services like the Early Years Centres.
Because Childhood Lasts a Lifetime
While Sarah’s story is true, we have changed all names in order to protect the family’s identity. Photos used are models.