When we first met Toby*

Toby was only seven years old when his mother's partner began to sexually abuse him. His mother was aware of this but did nothing to protect him from it. He came to the attention of Social Care after telling his teacher about the abuse that he was experiencing and was immediately taken into care.

Toby was initially placed into foster care, though this broke down very quickly. He subsequently went through a variety of futher broken placements before he was placed with Cambian's specialist residential services for victims of child sexual abuse at the age of eight.

When Toby came to us

He had not been enrolled at a school, was extremely withdrawn and did not communicate well. Toby struggled with attachment issues and could not be left alone. He also suffered from bedwetting and anxiety caused by flashbacks.

When Toby came into our care, a full assessment of his needs was undertaken. Toby's carers supported him using attachment-based interventions, working with him in a healthy, safe and stable environment to develop his social interactions and to generate better trust in adults.

Toby's care

They began working with him to increase his confidence, encouraging him to interact with other children and to feel more comfortable at night. Toby has been in care for a year and now attends a mainstream primary school while living in a Group Home with other children his age.

Toby is preparing to move on to a very well matched foster placement and he has a bright future. Transitional work has been undertaken by all adults supporting Toby including his key carer, all home staff and his clinical team. This has included placement planning recommendations. Everyone is very hopeful for his future and he is completing impressive work with his key carer about moving on.

Today

An educational provision has been sourced for Toby when he moves to his foster home which will fully meet his needs. Toby will likely receive therapeutic input for some time as he still suffers from anxiety, but the placement within the Cambian service has laid the foundations for this work in the future.

*Name has been changed to protect identity