Written by a Health Care Professional, Inspire Scotland
D came to live at Inspire Scotland’s Campsie View service 2 years ago with the reputation of being a feral 12-year-old boy who would never be able to sustain a residential care placement given the behaviours he displayed, according to others. His behaviours were, at this time very misunderstood and the way that people around him communicated or responded to him was the trigger to this behaviour.
This part of the story is most important because although the first few of months of D living at Campsie View were difficult for him personally and it was also difficult for his support team. We were trying to get to know him and his behaviours, however the team persevered, continued to work with him through this difficult period, not giving up on him as we knew he had a huge amount to offer, not only to himself but to others around him.
There is and was no magic trick or technique in this, simply listening and building on the relationship that he desperately needed. Asking what he was interested in, what does he like to do, where does he see himself as he gets older and carefully setting achievable goals within his care plan to achieve these positive outcomes for him to reflect on.
D loves motorbikes and so too do a few of the team. To build on that interest with D some team members allowed him to sit on their bikes and he would tell us that one day he would have his own.
The team spotted an advert by KartStart offering young people between the age of 7 and 14 the opportunity to ride their MiniMoto motorbikes and that they would provide a bike for this year’s racing season, including maintenance, if any young person showed real talent. D was so excited that the team found this, and he had opportunity to ride a motorbike.
The day arrived and D was waiting at the front door at 7.45am ready to go.
The young people were assisted by an instructor firstly walking around the track until they managed to feel confident to ride themselves.
D jumped on the bike and the instructor went through the controls….a nod from D and they were off however after the a few yards D shouted to the instructor that it was ok for him to let go, which the instructor did and he sped off doing three laps of the track slowly then as his confidence grew picked up some speed.
After the session he spent time with the instructor who was impressed with his skills and confidence and talking with other boys and parents discussing how the day went.
Shortly after this session D received a letter from KartStart thanking him for his input on the training day and they would be delighted to offer him a mini motorbike to race this year, along with a list of events and training days that they enrol him on.
D’s life has changed dramatically now from the boy who joined us to live at Campsie view 2 years ago. This is his success and he feels loved, safe and respected living within Inspire Scotland’s service.
This journey, D’s journey was and is built on Inspire Scotland’s values, CALM theories and Social Pedagogy philosophies of care. We believe in and are inspired by our young people whilst supporting them along a path to be the best they can be.
Inspire Scotland wish to thank KartStart for their generosity and look forward to the racing season ahead.
