LUCA was 11 when, following the breakdown of a foster home placement, he arrived at Millhouse, which is a residential children’s home graded outstanding by Ofsted.
At first he experienced significant challenges; he would assault staff, was aggressive and to keep him safe, the team had to support using physical intervention every day.
He had previously experienced significant neglect, and the different ‘solutions’ put in place for him broke down and didn’t work for him. He also had very negative experiences of school, including an extremely serious assault against him for which he was blamed. He was labelled a ‘trouble-maker’, it was a label which stuck for some time and one which the team at Millhouse fought against for Luca.
Luca came to Millhouse and stayed for four years for what would prove to be his first and only residential placement before positively moving on.
Through building positive and trusting relationships with Luca, listening to him and advocating for him, his levels of aggression dissipated and disappeared at home.
With his ‘trouble-maker’ tag, he was excluded from and couldn’t attend school but the team at Millhouse advocated tirelessly for him saying that they believed that was the wrong decision for Luca as they just didn’t see the type of behaviour school was reporting. He is now working towards a career in mechanics, something which interests him greatly. They also helped him secure volunteering work at a local garage, which was a huge achievement for him.
He is in touch with his family and remains also in touch with Millhouse and the team there, keeping them updated on his progress and reaching out for help and advice – which they are happy to provide – when he feels he needs that additional support.
