Jane was referred to Birmingham Rathbone because of her severe lack of self-confidence. This was clear when she nearly left us because she could not face travelling alone and at first she spent most of her time at Rathbone in tears.

To help her cope with travelling, taxis were arranged for her at first. Later, a member of Rathbone staff would collect Jane by car everyday. This evolved into Jane walking to Rathbone with a member of staff and, eventually, she made her own way.

At some points, Jane was so distressed that she was unable to get from the pavement into the building, so she would have to be helped by a member of staff, who had to hold her hand. However, by the time she left Birmingham Rathbone, she had been able to keep a work placement and travel independently by public transport.

Jane successfully undertook childcare training during her time at Birmingham Rathbone and was able to gain NVQ Level 2 in Childcare. She is now a fully-qualified nursery nurse, with a full-time job, and is a designated key-holder at her place of work.

Claire came to Birmingham Rathbone for our vocationally-based learning provision for 14 to 16 year olds. Initially, she had a challenging attitude and needed help with anger management.

Claire, however, soon changed from being an angry young woman, with poor school attendance and a poor relationship with authority. She progressed on to an Entry to Employment course in Adult Care and left Birmingham Rathbone with a full NVQ Level 2 in Adult Care, able to take on full-time employment.