Sarah (not her real name) is a 13 yr old girl who presented as unkempt, very shy and with little or no eye contact. She was reluctant to get involved in the rugby and would often make excuses to sit out. She was mentored by one of our male rugby coaches and after a couple of sessions disclosed to him a dysfunctional and chaotic home life. The issues raised were discussed with school staff and following our team meeting it was agreed her mentor would work on supporting child a to find ways to improve her mood, such as listening to music and drawing.

Over the next few weeks she opened up more and more regarding her home life, each session we ensured (with her permission) that this information be passed to her trusted adult in the school. Eventually she disclosed a piece of information that required the school's safeguarding team to step in.

We then had a strategy meeting with school staff and decided that we needed a unified approach to supporting her. A meeting was had between her counsellor and SOHK staff. Since this meeting, Sarah’s self-confidence has improved beyond belief. She feels supported across all areas and feels although her home life isn’t perfect she is getting the help she needs. A referral has been made for mum and her to get some help together as well from an external agency. Her attendance has improved a lot and she has managed to form some good friendships with the SOHK team.