Emma - Lyth Hill

Emma arrived at Lyth Hill when she was 10 years old and had experienced significant trauma and a family breakdown.

Emma had insecure attachments with the adults in her life.  She had a diagnosis of Autism (ASD) and had withdrawn from any form of education over a prolonged period.

The care team at Lyth Hill focused on developing Emma’s identity as a starting point for them to begin the foundations of forming positive relationships.  Over the first twelve months, small goals were set and then achieved, with the sole purpose of enhancing Emma’s self-esteem and outlook on the world.

Home tutoring was put in place, and through the resilience of the team and the in-house teacher, Emma began accepting and enjoying the process of learning again.

Six months later Emma was on roll at a local mainstream secondary school and surprised everybody by requesting a full timetable instead of the transition plan proposed.  By remaining available and consistent during these significant hurdles, the team saw Emma flourish and gain in confidence month by month.

Examples of these milestones included attending a salon with a carer to have her hair styled, performing in a school pantomime in front a large audience, and going abroad on a school trip without carers accompanying her.

Emma remained at Lyth Hill for a further twelve months and through the work of the team and her social worker, she felt ready to consider a foster family. 

This process was taken at a pace that Emma felt comfortable with.  Throughout this period a number of foster carers were considered, but did not match with Emma’s identified needs.

This message of wanting to find the right carers for Emma reaffirmed that all involved cared for her and were determined to find carers that would meet her needs.

Once a suitable family was matched, Emma successfully transitioned to her new home as a happy and talented young person who possesses the skills required to cope with the difficulties life can present.

Emma's Social Worker and Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) rated the placement as ‘outstanding’ and made the following comments:

“Lyth Hill have done an amazing job supporting Emma. They have helped her grow in confidence and have significantly raised her self-esteem.”

Social Worker

“I am very impressed with the way Lyth Hill staff have prepared Emma for her future foster placement and how they have worked with the family and parents.”

Independent Reviewing Officer