Helping Evie

What was Evie’s situation before working with Advocacy Focus? 

Evie*, a nine-year-old girl in the care of the local authority, was living in a children’s residential home. Plans were in place for her to move to live with a foster family. 

Evie had been talking to her mum every night before she went to bed. However, her social worker had made the decision that Evie should only talk to her mum twice a week.  

The decision was made following concerns about Evie’s mum, although no further action was taken at the time. Support staff reported that limited contact with her mum was affecting Evie’s mental health, and that she was upset every night. 

Evie had a good relationship with the support staff and talked to them about how she felt, but she was very shy and nervous about speaking to her social worker and other professionals. 

Support staff believed that speaking with an Advocate would benefit Evie and hoped it would help her to “make her voice louder”. 

What did the Independent Advocate do to help Evie? 

The Advocate spoke with the person who made the referral, who raised that Evie might struggle to engage during their initial meeting. To help Evie feel more at ease, the Advocate asked about her interests, hoping to connect through something she enjoyed. Support staff shared that Evie loves Disney characters, especially Mickey and Minnie Mouse. 

To prepare for the visit, Evie’s Advocate found Mickey and Minnie Mouse colouring pages to bring along. 

At first, Evie was very quiet and hid her face behind a cushion. The Advocate brought out the colouring sheets she had prepared and asked Evie if she could help draw Mickey. Evie immediately looked up and joined them at the table. Over time, Evie began to feel comfortable enough to open up. 

The Advocate explained their role and how they could support her, and Evie shared her wishes and feelings. Evie spoke about how the reduced contact with her mum was making her feel. 

What was the outcome? 

Evie was happy for the Advocate to share her views with her social worker and her Cafcass guardian. As a result, the social worker agreed to restore nightly contact between Evie and her mum. 

Why was advocacy support so effective? 

The home manager provided feedback to the Advocate, expressing that she felt the advocacy support had been very effective for Evie: 

“I believe she felt relieved after seeing you and despite being so young felt a little empowered. She really engaged with her guardian, which she never does, so I think talking with you helped her find her voice.” 

Evie had previously been very shy when speaking with professionals. However, after meeting with her Advocate, she gained the confidence to believe her voice was important and began engaging more openly with others. 

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the people we support.