Coping with long-term effects of tragic crash

Following the road traffic accident that killed her mother, a ten-year-old girl’s brain injuries went unrecognised for many years. Her widowed father found her behaviour increasingly difficult and she went into care.

At the age of 18, she was completely incapable of organising her day-to-day life. She was sharing a council flat with her boyfriend. She smoked cannabis and self harmed. Despite the fact that he abused her, she was dependent upon him. They lived in squalor, with numerous animals and large debts. When eventually she told the boyfriend to leave, he attempted suicide.

What we did:

• Recruited a support worker, while we set up rehabilitation and life skills programmes
• Liaised with the solicitor/receiver/creditors and obtained interim payments to clear outstanding debts
• Set up standing orders to deal with day-to-day bills
• Helped her to budget
• Negotiated urgently-needed veterinary treatment for the animals
• Worked with the client on behavioural problems, including self-mutilation and disinhibition.

The result:

• With specialist help she learnt to drive
• She reduced her dependence on cannabis
• She started voluntary work
• She became interested in computers
• She became more responsible for her pets
• She then moved to be nearer to her grandmother and our involvement ceased.