The Smith’s Journey
The Smith family are one of five ‘archetypes’ created for our social impact report, based on a series of ‘typical’ storylines about the lives of people that we help. By using these, we can explore their needs, their journey to Right There, how they are supported by us and the difference Right There has made in their lives – as well as what could happen if they did not access help from us.
The Smith Family’s journey prior to Right There
As a single parent with the children’s father incarcerated, the family’s financial burden falls entirely on Mum, and with wages failing to keep up with the cost of living, along with the lingering effects of COVID-19, this has placed significant financial strain on the household. The eldest child is showing behaviours of concern, which is contributing to the tensions and conflict within the family. Meanwhile, the younger sibling, who is neurodivergent, faces challenges in accessing specialised care, due to long waiting lists. Despite having a social worker, the lack of progress and the inconsistent support received, have made them less inclined to engage, as they perceive little change occurring. The mum, struggling with her own mental health issues rooted in generational trauma and exacerbated by poverty and single parenthood, uses substances for temporary relief, which isolates her further and hinders her ability to provide a stable environment for her children, perpetuating a cycle of hardship.
The Smith Family’s Journey with Right There’s Support
Recognising the Smith Family’s complex challenges, the social worker refers them to Right There for holistic support. The eldest child’s enrolment in Right There’s mentoring programme positively impacts his behaviour and emotional well-being, influencing his younger brother and mum and improving overall family dynamics. Family counselling fosters trust and communication, while support workers advocate for essential resources and specialised care, such as Mental Health Services and an education support plan. This proactive approach eases Mum’s daily practical challenges and empowers the family with a sense of support and agency. Beyond crisis intervention, Right There’s assistance enables Mum to seek therapeutic support and create a sustainable home environment.
The Smith Family’s Journey without Right There’s support
Without Right There’s comprehensive support, the Smith family’s situation escalates. Both children exhibit heightened behaviours of concern, leading to school issues and strained family relationships. The eldest child is excluded which jeopardises his educational journey, and ongoing financial struggles add to the family’s physical and mental health problems. Mum’s financial stress leads to increased anxiety, making it hard to meet basic needs. This challenging environment worsens their health, increases instances of abuse and neglect, and leaves mental health concerns unaddressed. Mum’s substance use further complicates family dynamics, resulting in heartbreaking situations like the eldest child going missing from home and his younger sibling resorting to self-harm. Ultimately, increased social care involvement leads to the children’s removal and further trauma for the family.
Economic evaluation of the outcomes from the Smith Family’s Story
For each individual “Smith family”, presented in the journey map, the social benefit is detailed as:
- Receiving support for mum’s poor mental health and substance use yields a saving to the NHS of £21.7k (£10.6k for substance use support, £6.3k for mental health and wellbeing and £4.8k for physical wellbeing).
- Receiving support to better manage her finances, mum has avoided the risk of rent arrears or eviction, which has yielded a saving of £2.4k for the Local Authority. This has also enabled her to avoid problem debt issues (saving £6.3k).
- Avoiding the costs of residential or foster care by working with the family to reduce conflict, repair relationships, support with improving mental health, wellbeing, and substance use, breaking the patterns of neglect and abuse. This yields a saving of £3.2k for the Local
Authority (social care).
The largest areas of value generated by Right There’s support, are in:
- Receiving support from a mentor to support with the children’s education. The savings yielded to Education and the Local Authority from this are £3.3k for avoiding school exclusion and being absent or going missing from school. This, and addressing the underlying issues within the family home, supports both children to re-engage and avoid being NEET at age 18, saving the Economy £110.5k.
- Supporting mum to access paid employment, bringing value of £78.3k to the local economy and a saving of £17.3k to DWP.
The contrast of the Smith family’s journey and their counterfactual journey shows that for all the “Smith families” receiving support from Right There a social benefit of at least £88.3m would be generated.
