The Believe model’s overall aim is to prevent the cycle of children being removed from their mum’s care.
The Believe project is a relationship based practice working with Mums or pregnant women, whose child or children may be subject to a Child Protection Plan or open to social care involvement or born into care. We aim to give women the opportunity to deal with the trauma of loosing their children by working with them to make positive life decisions in all aspects on their mental health and well-being. We offer a person centered, non judgmental approach, where we gain the trust of the women that we work with and work with them to produce a bespoke support plan. The women can also access our in-house counselling service. Where they can have time to reflect and comes to terms with the loss and trauma they have experienced. The women that face removal of children usually have deep routed and complex issues that need focused support to help them move forward.
The relationship between the woman and her Believe Advocate is key.
It is one which is secure, consistent and predictable; a relationship where women are valued and respected for who they are without judgement. They are encouraged to discover or uncover their individual identity, needs and aspirations, to look at their past and use it to improve future choices and decisions. The Advocate will encourage them to be actively involved in all parts of the programme, take supported risks to learn new skills and have fun too.
This is different to the negative perspectives and language that many of the women will be used to hearing about themselves.
It focuses on achieving what, from the outside, might seem small steps that offer a sense of value and worth but we know are giant strides forward for the women themselves.
Each Believe Advocate works with between fifteen and twenty women, enabling them to give the time to focus on each woman’s needs.
The relationship is nurturing, but it is also challenging, a partnership to help break destructive cycles and to work toward a more positive Believe Advocate’s understanding that the relationship with the woman is not linear, that there will be some bumps along the way. They are tenacious and going the extra mile is the norm. For example, if a woman is no longer living at her usual address, her Advocate will use her contacts and networks to track her down and make sure she’s safe. If a woman is struggling to deal with particular service providers, such as housing, her Advocate will work with her to resolve the situation and to provide her with the tools to manage the situation herself in the future.
Every town, city, village has experience of working with women who have multiple children removed into the care system.
These women are typically disadvantaged with emotional, environmental and health-related problems. Many grew up in either violent abusive households or in care themselves and their children face a disproportionate risk of becoming vulnerable adults. Children being placed into care is very often misunderstood by society and the women can feel extremely isolated this having a negative impact on their mental health
