Kathryn shares her experience of her son Euan's move into his first home.
Euan is the youngest of my three children. He has a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome and also has additional mental health needs. Up until recently Euan lived between me and his dad, then his social worker told us about a new supported living development in Ayr. This would give Euan the opportunity for him to gain his independence in a place of his own, something which he was very keen to do.
We were both delighted, and very excited, when Euan was offered a tenancy in November. And really soon after this he officially moved in on December 7th. Because of the challenges Euan faces, the pace of how things moved could have been very difficult for him. And when he is struggling it can be tricky for others to know how best to support him through times like these.
However, I have been very impressed at how quickly he has settled into his own home, and how effective his support has been. His team have a good understanding his emotional needs and are successfully encouraging his independence. Of course, there are still times when I have seen his mood drop, this is often early evening just before his support worker arrives. What I have noticed though, is that when I contact him after they have been in his demeanour is a lot better.
In a short space of time, Euan’s move and the support he gets has benefitted him greatly. And it has also made a huge difference to me. This is due to my confidence in the support he is being given and meant I was able to be with my older son on Christmas Day to be there for my Granddaughter’s first Christmas.
