Kimberley Farley tackled the change from college to moving home with support from United Response.
When Kimberley Farley left her hometown of Carlisle to stay at a residential college, she was filled with anticipation at what the next three years would bring. But while she began making a new life almost 50 miles away, so too were the friends she’d made during her youth. As her trips home during half terms and summer holidays became lonelier, her mother began to worry about the future – how would her daughter cope with the transition from the college she’d slept and socialised in for the last two years, back to her home town?
Seeking advice, they went along to a local learning disability provider’s event, where they came across United Response.
“Kimberley’s predicament was a common one for many young people with learning disabilities, so we offered to support her to reconnect with her friends and social scene,” says Julie O’Neil, project coordinator for transition. “But rather than wait until she was back for good, we phased in our support throughout the holidays of her final college year, to help ease the transition.”
Like many women in their early twenties, blending in with her peers was important to Kimberley, something the team at United Response understood. We matched her with female support workers around the same age and with similar interests, giving her the confidence to join in with mainstream activities without worrying about standing out. Although shy at first, as her relationships with her support workers developed, Kimberley began to enjoy her newfound social life.
“Knowing she had someone to do things with gives Kimberley the confidence to try more things,” says Julie. “When she’s out, no one looks at her thinking she’s different. She is just a young woman out shopping with a friend.”
Over the next year, Kimberley began to rebuild old friendships by attending a weekly event held by her local club. Her independence is growing as she meets up with friends for coffee or bowling. And she continued to develop her education by enrolling in a Small Animals course at a mainstream college.
“Kimberley has come so far and gets on well with all of her support team,” says Julie. “She has even committed to a fitness regime for the first time ever, after staff used exercise classes set to music – her favourite thing – to motivate her. She is a happy, warm young woman and now everyone can see that.”
United Response continue to spend 12 hours a week supporting Kimberley and are now looking into volunteer placements at a local animal refuge to complement her animal studies.
