Building a future full of potential

“I’m different now. I feel a little bit more confident.”

When Sean joined Northcott Taree’s School Leavers Employment Service (SLES) in January 2020, his mother was worried about him. Sean was becoming more defiant, spending hours isolated at home, and rarely socialising with his peers.

Northcott Support Worker, Chad remembers that Sean would object to almost every task he was asked to do, keep to himself in group activities and disagree with his peers.

Two and a half years later, with Northcott’s support, Sean is more confident and has developed skills and a work ethic that is preparing him for the workforce.

What Northcott did

After Sean started accessing Northcott’s Vocational Skills service, our support workers noticed activities like resume writing and job seeking skills weren’t resonating with him. Using a person-centred approach, the team adapted Sean’s program, providing one-on-one vocational skills support in his home and matching him with support workers, like Chad, who he could build rapport with.

“I started to make horse reins with Sean. He was able to earn money by selling them. That gave him a feeling of self-worth, but also value to the work we were doing with him. He realised we were trying to help him,” Chad explains.

“We started to do a lot more work in his home. We would mow the lawn, clean up the house and build that work ethic in Sean.”

Chad discovered Sean responded well to camaraderie, preferring the support workers to work alongside him rather than tell him what or how to do things.

Slowly Sean gained trust and confidence. He started to form healthy relationships with both his peers and Northcott staff. He began to play a more active role in activities, showing initiative and doing tasks without being prompted.

Sean’s work experience

After noticing Sean had an interest in repairing things, Chad approached a local Taree mechanic about work experience opportunities. Ben, owner of Protec Mechanical Repairs, was more than happy to give Sean a go. Since the end of 2021, Sean has been spending one day a week in his workshop.

“I clean different parts of cars, empty the bins and sweep. I enjoy learning about how to do new things,” Sean says.

“Ben and his team are busy but they are nice and helpful. My favourite thing is cleaning the parts.”

Ben says he has seen a lot of growth in Sean over his time in the workshop.

“When he first turned up, he was very shy and wouldn’t interact with most of our staff. Over the last couple of months, he’s grown heaps and is getting more confident. He knows all the tasks he needs to do and can do them without instruction.

“I think Sean can be proud of his self-confidence and the additional skills that he’s picked up.”

Sean’s growth

Chad is also proud of Sean’s transformation.

“Sean has gained so much confidence. He is much better at talking to people, and much more caring towards other people. You don’t have to prompt him on how to do things once he’s been taught.

“I feel that Sean is really ready to join the workforce now. He has brought a lot of self-satisfaction into my job.”

Sean also recognises changes in himself: “I’m different now. I feel a little bit more confident. I enjoy not being stuck at home all day. I’m proud to leave the house more often, even when it’s not a day I go to Northcott.”