Coming Together For Families

Story by Cath Lane – Cardiff & Vale Advice Team Leader

Right now, we’re living in a very different world to the one we once knew. The pandemic has taken us all by storm, causing untold upset and disruption to so many people’s lives, including our own as Llamau colleagues.

 

When the news broke that Wales was to go into a strict lockdown, so many families began to feel the weight of this decision. Some families struggled with their children being home from school; others were furloughed and so feared for their financial stability, but almost everyone felt the pain of not being able to see their loved ones.

It didn’t take long for the cracks to appear, and for my team and I to begin to see a shift in the balance families once had. With lockdown forcing us to work in new ways, we had no choice but to adapt, which in itself brought a new sense of flexibility to the table.

To support families in crisis, we connected several of our homelessness prevention services together, effectively delivering a wrap-around service, which offers intensive support to young people and their families; helping them remain strong and together where possible. We’ve pulled together four services that complement each other very well – Family Mediation, Emphasis, Advice and Supported Lodgings. You can read Grant’s Story to find out how all four of these services came together to support a young man and his mother.

The fact that almost all young people have remained safely at home or returned very quickly during this difficult time, is testament to just how effective this new way of working has been. Although it feels very odd to say, this pandemic may have brought with it many negatives, but this service is definitely positive and one we’ll continue to deliver for as long as we can.

 

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