Eight year old Jamal* lives in cramp conditions with his siblings, parent and other family members which can be chaotic at times. In the past, Jamal has been subject to emotional abuse and neglect which has led to him being put on a Child Protection Plan. The attention and affection Jamal receives from his family is inconsistent which can lead to Jamal presenting as an angry young boy. His Referral Agent said that “Jamal would really benefit from a break as I feel that he would be a very different child when placed in a stimulating and caring environment, and I hope that Jamal would have very happy memories of the trip”.
When Jamal first arrived for his Go Beyond break he was incredibly nervous; he spent some time sitting on the stairs observing the group from a distance with a Break Leader who explained what he could expect during his break at Go Beyond. He was assured that there was lots of time to play football during the week and his face lit up! Although he kept close to the Break Leaders, Jamal’s confidence seemed to grow throughout the evening, and he started to play games with the group and interacted more openly with the adults around him. Like many of the children who come to Go Beyond, it was the first time Jamal had spent a night away from home. Although he was a bit teary and missing home, the adults on the break made everyone hot chocolate before bed, read the group bed-time stories and reassured everyone that the adults where there for them in the night if needed. When morning came Jamal said that he no longer wanted to go home because he was too excited for the day ahead! When the group went to National Forest Adventure Farm, Jamal was besotted with the baby goats and he even snuck back to say one final goodbye at the end of the day. He explained with a content look on his face “They just love me”. When the group got back onto the bus, he said that he had the best time ever.
*Names and photos have been changed to protect identities
