When Mandy and the team at Norvent received the referral request for 9-year-old Lola*, she had already been in the hospital for a substantial amount of time as professionals struggled to find a placement that could meet her needs.  

It had been an extraordinarily difficult time for Lola. Knowing the transition from hospital to an unfamiliar home with a new routine and staff would be difficult for her, the home put together a plan of daily visits with different staff. 

To support with some familiarity, Norvent helped Lola to know who was coming each day by providing her with a diary with the names of the staff who was coming the following day.

Assistant Manager Mandy also went to visit Lola at the hospital with her dogs so they could go for a walk and become familiar with one another before she moved into the home.

Lola had selective mutism and would only speak to people once she felt comfortable and safe around them. The team found creative ways to bond with Lola, remembering not to be disheartened when there were bad days, and to always celebrate the ‘wins’, no matter how small.  

“Being an established team from Day One was so significant. The characters and personalities of the team were essential. We had to learn from each other. It was so open and reflexive,” Mandy recalls. 

One of the first challenges was transitioning Lola from wearing her coat to bed to wearing pyjamas. Lola was inseparable from her coat, which she wore all day and night because it provided her with a sense of safety – her very own armour.  

The staff would all wear their pyjamas too from 7pm. They’d play games like ‘how quickly can we put our pyjamas on?’ and run upstairs. They normalised a routine with Lola – brushing their teeth together, wearing pyjamas at night, sleeping in a bed. 

“Little by little, as the coat was coming off, she was becoming more chatty – and more cheeky! Seeing the subtle connections she was making was absolutely joyous, it was just so rewarding.” 

A few months into her new home, Lola was engaging and flourishing – but the next challenge was getting Lola back into education. 

“She’d missed so much school. We were thinking, ‘How are we going to manage this?’  

“We arranged a tutor from Manchester Virtual School to come teach Lola from home, and it was a perfect fit. He was able to connect with her, and together, we worked through it slowly: ‘Let’s get today done, let’s get this week done.’  

“We would celebrate every achievement openly and genuinely.‘Three hours a week! Amazing.’ Our team and the tutor – we all understood the importance of small wins and the bigger picture.”  

The next big challenges for the Norvent team were Lola’s upcoming SATS and securing her a place at secondary school. They worked with Virtual Schools so that Lola could take her SATS at home, and she did amazingly, despite all the time she’d missed from school.   

“It was hard to find an education provision that could fit her needs, and we were really lucky to find her a fantastic place for her,” Mandy continues. 

“She started Year 7 last September. Our team, the school, and Virtual School all worked together, but we were led by Lola the whole time. We all listened to what she needed. When she’d say, ‘I can’t do a full day,’  we didn’t make her do a full day.”  

How long Lola could stay at school every day kept increasing, until she found herself doing full days, every day. And now, one year into school, she hasn’t missed a day yet! 

“Getting ready for the day ahead and going to school has given her a sense of purpose. Her presentation is perfect; she’s immaculate. It was lovely when she first brought all her books home. Her writing is wonderful.  

“She’s starting Drama Group next year. She’s just so funny, she needs to be on the stage! She’s on the waiting list for St John’s Ambulance too because her dream is to become a paramedic. 

I’ve worked at the Together Trust for 31 years and there are many kids I stay in contact with, even well into their thirties, and Lola will be one of the children that I and the rest of the team will always, always remember.” 

Mandy, Assistant Manager

*Names and identifiable details changed to protect Lola’s identity  

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