Steven’s Story

Life before Mercury College

Before Steven moved into one of our transitional services, he had attended a school that specialised in supporting students with Autism and other related learning difficulties near Doncaster. Once Steven reached 19, he moved on to a group adult residential home without education. He experienced a traumatic breakdown of this placement, which resulted in him residing in a police station with no care or support.

We were asked at short notice to assess Steven and provide an emergency placement, should we be able to meet his needs. 24 hours later Steven had his own home with his own front door and was attending our college as part of our transitional service offering.

Outcomes set before coming to Mercury College

The Mercury College team worked closely with Steven to understand his aspirations and goals for his future. From this, his individual timetable was developed and his study programme was trialled over the first half term. This included working on skills that Steven had identified as being important to him, in particular using public transport and community engagement skills. His timetable also included activities to increase his independence and retail skills. He would also be enjoying tailored enrichment sessions giving opportunities to try out lots of different leisure activities with a focus on health and fitness.

Life now

Due to the traumatic experience he had previously Steven felt that the only people who could keep him safe were the emergency services. The multi-agency team worked with the police and the NHS crisis team to develop a plan where Steven would start to feel safe without reaching out to the emergency services persistently. Steven is now able to raise his concerns with the team that support him and has developed strong, trusting relationships.

Steven continues to attend college every day and has built positive relationships with both the other students and the staff. Steven has gone above and beyond in taking on additional responsibilities in college, including becoming a Makaton Champion, Fire Marshall and College Tour Guide when we have visitors. He has also been involved in setting up the Christmas markets we were involved in, including making the goods to sell as part of our Mercury Inc. business enterprise. Steven is now an integral part of our Café Juno, Catering and Hospitality venture and his role includes developing menus alongside the other students, cooking, serving and taking orders. More recently, Steven has been involved in the Mercury College Choir and is currently practising weekly for the festival that takes place in March.

Steven’s experience in college has now extended into his evenings and weekends, promoting him to have a variety of experiences outside of college; this includes going to nightclubs for the first time.

What’s next?

Steven has recently shared that he would like to have a job. He is currently in the early stages of starting a new work experience with Doncaster Rovers Football Club, to further support him in the area of job coaching and other employment skills. The multi-agency team supporting Steven continue to promote activities outside of college and our transitional services, and have been encouraging him to join youth clubs, social clubs and other sporting activities. Steven continues to receive support from the multi-agency team around managing his emotions and being able to talk about them. Considering the traumatic experiences he has had, this work will be ongoing.