It took time for Charlie to trust us after being referred for Advocacy support under the Care Act, following previous difficult experiences with services. As Charlie opened up to us, we discovered that both his health and his financial situations were unstable.

Listening to Charlie, we knew that he wanted to find hope and improve his situation, he just wasn’t sure how to do this on his own. Having an advocate by his side helped to guide Charlie to look at his health concerns, through speaking with his GP and, once tests and diagnosis were underway, he accessed hospital treatment. Unsure on how he would manage at home once well enough to return, we helped Charlie to look at options for care. Charlie was happy to be living independently once home from hospital, with a little help from a support worker as and when he needed it.

Following his return home, Charlie was finding it difficult to manage financially and, following his benefits review being declined, his situation worsened once again. Supporting him to access food banks and other local support was helpful, but not enough to ensure a long term solution. Due to the financial stress and a quick decline in Charlie’s physical and mental health, we raised a safeguarding concern with the Local Authority. Working alongside Charlie and other agencies, a decision was made for him to have a short inpatient stay in a rehabilitation unit to stabilise his health. Charlie talked to us about his worries whilst in hospital, concerned that he would be unable to manage again once he got home. We supported him to access grants for essential clothing and household items in preparation for going home, and worked with him to look at his benefit situation now that his health and needs had changed.