Jamie's Story
Background
Jamie is 16. He was previously looked after at home between for a period of time while living with his dad. He now lives in kinship care with his gran, who has become his main source of stability and support.
When Marc first started working with Jamie in October 2024, his school attendance was just 2%. Jamie was at risk of becoming completely disengaged from education and had limited access to opportunities that could help him build confidence and a future pathway.
Intervention
Marc was asked to work with Jamie through colleagues in RISE (Routes Into Skills And Education). Marc's role was to act as a relationship broker and navigator, helping Jamie build trust, re-engage with opportunities, and take part fully in the RISE project.
During this time, Jamie began attending the Wider Achievement Programme at Ibrox. This programme supports young people across Glasgow who are struggling to maintain school attendance. It provides a unique, dynamic approach to education, while ensuring learning is qualification-based and purposeful.
Through RISE, Jamie achieved [Nat 3 History, Biology and People in Society. This marked a significant turning point in his educational journey.
With Marc's support, Jamie successfully secured a place at Ayrshire College to study Bridge to college and then hopefully Bridge to Employment]. Marc also helped Jamie to verify his care experience, meaning he was entitled to receive the Care Experienced Bursary, a financial support package designed to reduce barriers to education.
In addition, Marc worked with Jamie's gran to maximise the family's income by linking her with South Ayrshire's Information and Advice Hub. This ensured that the household could access all financial support available to them, bringing in additional money to the household.
Themes in Jamie's Journey
- Rights & Entitlements - ensuring Jamie could access the Care Experienced Bursary and other supports.
- Whole Family Approach - working with Jamie's gran as well as Jamie himself.
- Income Maximisation - increasing financial stability for the family unit.
- Brokering Relationships & Increasing Participation - supporting Jamie to reconnect with education, training, and his future.
Impact
Jamie has gone from being almost entirely disengaged in education to successfully completing qualifications, securing a college place, and accessing the supports he is entitled to as a care-experienced young person. His relationship with his gran has also been strengthened by the reduction of financial strain.
Next Steps
Jamie is preparing to start college in October 2025 Marc's role moving forward will be to continue acting as a source of encouragement and guidance, ensuring Jamie feels confident, supported, and able to take the next steps in his education and life.
