Every child who has experienced trauma deserves support to recover
When a child experiences trauma, they often don’t know how to deal with their feelings of hurt and pain. Without support their life can start to unravel.
Matched Giving Appeal: Your donation will be doubled!
Chloe's Story
Chloe was 13 when she told her mum Aileen that she had been abused by her grandfather. Aileen told us:
“It had come out of nowhere. I was putting her to bed and she literally blurted it out"
After giving her video statement to the police, Chloe expected everything to be over quickly, but the court case was cancelled time and again. With every date that passed Aileen grew more concerned about Chloe’s mental health:
“Chloe was upset, confused and frustrated. She stopped going to school and her friendships suffered. Once when she was out in the car with me, she saw her grandfather in the street and burst into tears. She totally lost it. She couldn’t cope to see him standing there, living a normal life. It felt like he was 'getting away with it' while Chloe’s world was unravelling. She was so low that she didn’t feel her life was worth living. And I felt totally helpless.”
Children 1st provides support to help children like Chloe recover from harmful experiences. Your donation will help fund this life-saving work.
For two and half years Chloe and her family waited for a trial and a verdict, and Sue from Children 1st was by their side. Sue built a strong relationship with Chloe and was there to support the whole family. Sue helped Chloe to express herself, to share when she felt emotionally overwhelmed or powerless. Sue became a safe person for Chloe to confide in.
When Chloe’s grandfather was unanimously found guilty, Sue rang to tell the family. The news was overwhelming for Chloe. Aileen reflected:
“Chloe is still working through what happened and the trauma of what he did. She knows now that it doesn’t just go away as soon as the court said he was guilty.”
Chloe and her family received support from Children 1st after the case was concluded to help them focus on the future.
Your donation today could help a child or young person like Chloe to access support that will help them to recover from trauma and abuse.
We have changed the family’s names to protect their privacy.
£100 could provide three hours of one-to-one support from Children 1st Parentline to help parents keep their children safe, loved and well.
£45 could pay for a family support session to talk about the basic needs of the family, their anxieties, and their mental health worries.
£25 could give a young person access to support to help them begin to recover from trauma and abuse.
Donate now to help children across Scotland to get the early help they need so their lives don’t unravel.
Thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters providing a matched giving fund all individual donations to the Winter Appeal will be doubled this year, (up to a total of £10,000) – making twice the impact!
