Joseph gets his swagger back

Joseph is 24 and he moved into his own flat in a shared supported living home 18 months ago. Six months later, FitzRoy took over the service and we met Joseph for the first time.

His mum Angela told us: “Before FitzRoy took over, there were a lot of different managers, I could tell Joseph was scared, he was thinking, they don’t know what they are doing, and the staff were all too scared to support him. He was so volatile when FitzRoy took over, and building that confidence with the staff team took quite a bit of work.”

Over the next few months we built a team of expertise around Joseph, with his parents Angela and Richard at the very heart of it.

Service Manager Courtney Bryson said: “We were worried about how best to keep him safe, and how to keep our staff safe, we wanted to find what was right for him. The concern was that he needed to be back in hospital and none of us wanted that.”

Our mental health lead Kim Knights and our positive behaviour support lead Elaine Moody met with Joseph, the support staff and Joseph’s family to find out more about what was going on. We worked out a plan, how to manage his environment, find out what is not working, and what we can adapt.

Courtney said: “We brought in staff with expertise to build the knowledge and confidence of the staff team. Joseph is over 6 foot and very strong, if someone that size and that fast comes running at you, your natural reaction is to run away, which would scare Joseph more. Now staff have the confidence to stay and manage the situation and have the knowledge to avoid the situation arising in the first place.”

Angela said: “When I heard FitzRoy were taking over, I thought, ‘great another one!’ but the training, the management and the consistency have all made a massive difference.

I think Joseph is happier now than he has been for a while, he is getting his swagger back, he is more upbeat.

“Things have improved so much with the staff. They were scared and I understand that, with his size and his strength, but I have respect for FitzRoy, they didn’t chuck us out, they are having a go – and now he is settled and showing the true him.”

At FitzRoy, we always push ourselves to do better, to be brave with the choices we make and the support we offer. And we focus on what people can do, never what they can’t. This strengths-based approach identifies and builds on people’s abilities, talents, and resources to empower them. Our focus is on the person, and what support they need from us so they can live a gloriously ordinary life.

Find out more about our work in our Impact Report.