CBSA has been working closely as part of a partnership led by Llamau, with Sova and Gisda throughout Wales in the unique Symyd Ymlaen/Moving Forward project.
Created to provide training and support with a 6 month paid work placement for young people who are care leavers or known to youth offending teams, SYMF has proved to be a huge success and has given hundreds of young people the opportunity to turn their lives around and gain a foothold on the career ladder.
Some of the young people referred to the SYMF project have been through incredibly traumatic events. Most of us will luckily never fully understand what these young people have been through, or need the intensive support that they do just to live day to day.
Michelle became homeless when her boyfriend went to prison, which meant that she had to move back to her alcoholic father. Michelle's father did not want her in his house, and wanted her to move into another property he owned. It turned out that not only was this house being used as a drug den, but it was where Michelle's mum had passed away. The thought of moving into this house triggered depressive thoughts for Michelle, and we could see that she desperately needed help beyond her workplace.
Working closely with her mentor, CBSA and SOVA staff were able to help her resolve her housing issue, and she has moved back into the safe flat that she used to share with her boyfriend This is where the strength of partnership working comes into its own, by combining the expertise of two organisations Michelle is now safe again and has continued her work placement.
