Following a difficult time in her life Sarah worked with forfutures to get back on track.

When Sarah, first contacted forfutures she was struggling with debt from personal loans and with her mental health.

She was experiencing post-natal depression following the birth of her son five months earlier. He had been placed into foster care and was later adopted.

Sarah was determined to change her circumstances.

After getting to know the team at forfutures, she opened up about her struggles, explaining that she had three other children, who were also in foster care.

Sarah, who is 34, had found herself in an abusive relationship and addicted to drugs, which had led to her losing custody of her children.

She does all she can to see them and loves her visits with them, but she’s no longer able to see her youngest child since the adoption.

To help her with her financial problems, forfutures worked with Sarah to apply for a Debt Relief Order and get further guidance from Citizen’s Advice.

Sarah has been able to start clearing her debts and hasn’t missed any payments for her current home.

She has been diagnosed with Asperger’s, which she believes is one of the reasons she has struggled in the past.

Sarah attended coaching sessions run by forfutures. These helped to boost her confidence, which led to her making some big changes. Following the sessions she joined a local gym which has led to improvements in her physical and mental health.

After building her confidence Sarah eventually revealed her passion for art – showing some of her work to the team.

Sarah has even compiled the artwork and poetry into a book, which is now for sale on Amazon, dedicated to her children.

“When I first met Sarah, she really seemed to lack self-esteem and confidence” said Berni Bancroft, Case Coordinator at forfutures.

“After working with her for eight months, I’ve noticed huge changes in her health and her outlook on life. She’s much more positive now and has asked to be referred to our Gateway Programme, which helps people who are or who have been in violent relationships.”

“She will soon be moving in with a member of her family, and I wish her all the very best for the future.”

Sarah said: “Berni helped me improve my self-confidence by accessing a free gym membership and helping me create a book of my artwork and poems. She also helped me with an assessment so I could receive my diagnosis of Asperger’s. She has been a great help and it has been a pleasure knowing her.”