Mental Health Nurse

A worker from NELFT is available every Thursday in the Cocoon and young people can access support in the form of a chat, referral or brief assessment to support them. The young people who have met with the NELFT worker have given good feedback about being able to talk to someone in a safe space. The benefits of having a mental health nurse on site is twofold in that Leaving Care staff are building resilience and confidence in supporting care experienced young people with hidden disabilities.

This worker attends the Cocoon every Wednesday, and has built positive relationships with a number of care leavers. Young people, are able to talk and undertake pieces of work that support their self-esteem, and highlights some of the reasons behind their substance use. Staff, again are benefitting as these sessions help them with the different skills required to support young adults who misuse substances.

Natalie Richardson, Family Therapist and Systemic Practitioner within the Leaving Care Team, attends the Cocoon every Friday. She undertakes joint work with staff, and offers confidential space for care experienced young adults to discuss their thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Whilst the DWP are not yet back to supporting care leavers in the Cocoon, staff in the Cocoon support young people to communicate with DWP in order to resolve benefits related matters.

The Cocoon has been used by unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) to offer a safe space for online Home Office interviews. Staff will sit in the interviews with the young adults and act as advocates or provide any additional support as required. This arrangement offers a more informal setting, with support from staff who are familiar with the young adults and their circumstances.

Opportunity for care leavers to contribute to how Havering Leaving Care Team responds to their needs and help plan positive engagement activities. However, every single contact within the Cocoon is used as an opportunity to obtain feedback about service provision or any areas that could be improved upon.

During their time in the Cocoon young people have the opportunity to work on independent living skills like cooking and learning new skills such as: cooking & eating together (pasta bake, chicken, jollof rice) making milkshakes and other drinks (non-alcoholic) supporting staff complete food shops for the Cocoon using the DJ equipment – quite popular with young adults going through crisis playing board games & video games, which builds on social skills