Karen Quin (Testimony for Emma Green)

Its hard to put into words what Emma and her team did for my daughter Katie but I will try…

Katie finished school the end of year 8 being admitted to hospital after two years of bullying and feeling like she wanted to end her life and school not supporting and offering any guidance.

Katie then spent two years at home as there was no specialist school available – during this time Katie was diagnosed with Autism and was given 1hr a week home visit provided by Warwickshire educational department – Katie became a recluse though her safe place was her bedroom so as a parent I knew she was safe but I wanted so much for her – she deserved it… Katie always dreamt of going to university and was always a high achiever in school and I could see this slowly disappearing.

During this time I made 100’s of phone calls to different agencies looking for any help for Katie which included paying private for counselling sessions but as a parent you would do anything to try and help.

Then out of the blue I had a phone call from Warwickshire educational department asking if I would be interested in meeting Emma who at the time worked for steppingstones – I immediately said yes but little did I know this would change Katies life.

Emma and Sarah arrived and looking back it was an instant connection – initially they did an activity with Katie but I could see Katie was engaged with them – from here they arranged a bespoke plan – this included Emma taking Katie for a coffee at a book barn which is perfect for Katie – arranged for Dave to pop to our home and do guitar lessons – and Sarah and her craft skills – all are these of Katies favourite things to do and slowly this was building Katies confidence – after a period of time I could see Katie was starting to realise she had missed so much education and she was worried about the future.

After a meeting with the educational department where Emma was present Katie was offered a place at a specialist school in Coventry OR a place with Emma at a new small bespoke school in Tamworth – for Katie it was an easy decision and off to Tamworth she went – during this time Emma and her team worked tirelessly with Katie on her confidence – how to manage her anxiety and techniques and supported Katie doing online GCSE lessons – at all times Emma kept us in touch with any decisions and was always there if we needed any advise.

After 6months Katie felt confident enough to step away and with the help of a private Maths/Science teacher she sat her GCSE exams.

Katie is now 19yrs old and at Coventry University doing her psychology degree after doing her A levels back in a mainstream college.

What Emma did was listen and show Katie respect and compassion and then with her team provide the support she needed – it wasn’t a quick fix but with Emma’s expert knowledge and experience Katie is a shining example of what can be achieved – I know I am forever grateful but for Katie she got her life back and she is now achieving her dreams.

Yours faithfully

Karen Quin 10/11/2022