Nadine’s journey to empowerment and hope

“There’s a drastic difference in my life now. I can finally see a future.”

Single mum, Nadine felt like she was simply surviving day to day. All four of her children, Nadia age 14, Noel 11, Talia 10 and Luca 8 have a range of support needs due to autism, ADHD, intellectual disability and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). * Without support, Nadine felt she was stuck in a revolving door with no way out. That was until she accessed Windermere’s Family Preservation and Reunification Response (FPRR) program.

“My life was so complicated and I felt stuck.” 

Nadine’s days were overrun with appointments, school pickups and managing conflicts at home and school. Further impeding family life was the mounting clutter in her home which had reached critical levels.

Nadine was unable to maintain or organise her home as she had spinal damage, arthritis and a range of related complications which left her in pain and limited movement. She had little to no support as her mum lives far away and she relied on her disability pension.

Her only relief was her Windermere Support Coordinator who helps her manage a range of support needs for Nadia, Noel, Talia and Luca.

Nadine also faced many challenges with her children including establishing routines at home and maintaining school attendance. She needed guidance to safely prevent fights that would break out between siblings and effectively engage with her daughter Nadia who would attempt to skip school.

“My life was so complicated and I felt stuck. There were constant fights at home.

Without the physical and mental capacity to cope, Nadine would succumb to bouts of depression, often napping throughout the day.

Nadine knew she needed support and when Child Protection Services (CPS) turned her attention to Windermere’s Family Preservation and Reunification Response (FPRR), Nadine opted to reach out for support.

Accessed via CPS, the Response is a free and voluntary program that uses a strengths-based approach to create positive and lasting change and build stronger and more resilient families.

 

“Just having someone to bounce off ideas made such a difference.”

Working together with her Windermere practitioner Nadine identified goals that would make a real difference in her life.

As a first step her practitioner made arrangements to help remove the clutter in her home, organising skips and payments for the cleanup project.

“That took so much stress away from me. My practitioner understood just how busy it can get with my children. There have been times where I would get called away as soon as I arrive at an appointment, but we always managed to find time to meet up and she always kept me on track,” says Nadine of the support she received.

After the physical aspects of her home environment were remedied, Nadine could begin addressing the many challenges she was facing with her children. Establishing routines was a significant goal that Nadine needed to accomplish to improve her children’s school attendance, meet appointments and find space for herself.

After discussing with her practitioner about using visual aids, Nadine made a breakthrough. She found a digital resource to create chore charts, organise calendars, photos and rewards to apply daily. Brainstorming with her practitioner to map out her days and week, Nadine set it up on her digital device.

 

 

Her practitioner also guided her on employing effective methods of discipline to ensure successful outcomes. As a result of having routines that worked, Nadine began to experience many positive effects in her life.

“I don’t have to spend time pondering over things. I can now make decisions with confidence and be comfortable with that and move on,” says Nadine.

 

“I can finally see a future.”

The support Nadine received had a profound impact on her life. The routines and the guidance helped shape her thought processes and above all she cherishes her newfound confidence.

“I’ve changed in little ways and in the way I think. I am more confident in the way I deal with my children, their schools and just day to day life,” she says.

The routines in place also helped Nadine to find more time with her daughter who constantly challenged authority and acted out due to Oppositional Defiant Disorder. As Nadia no longer experienced bouts of depression and erratic sleep patterns, she was able to cope better with these challenges.

She is grateful to her Windermere practitioner who supported her on her journey over the course of four months.

“She's just wonderful, she knows what she's doing. She's gentle, she's supportive. She's just amazing. Because of her I can finally see a future,” says Nadine.

“I'm not going to give up.”

Another goal that Nadine had set for herself was finding her career path. She envisions a future where she will be able to work as a nail technician and run her own business. She is determined to apply for a TAFE course and is preparing herself to successfully complete the assessment tests and become eligible for the course.

“I'm not going to give up. I'll get there. I’ll brush up on my skills in time for the next intake,” she says.

Nadine’s is one among hundreds of families that Windermere supports each year through Family Services and the Response.

Learn more about Integrated Family Services here. To access the program contact The Orange Door on 1800 271 170.
*Names and personal details changed to protect privacy.