Helping victims of violence

Helping victims of violence

Many of the young people we support through SOS have been victims of serious youth violence. ‘Dominic’ first came into contact with our SOS caseworkers in the Royal London Hospital when he was admitted as a result of a machete attack which left him fighting for his life. Read how our SOS Caseworker Colin helped him:

“I first came into contact with Dominic* when he was being supported by the SOS Team in the Major Trauma Centre at the Royal London Hospital. He had endured a vicious machete attack in which his throat had been cut and his arm almost severed. Dominic was extremely lucky to survive it and had great difficulty speaking or eating. His arm had a severed artery and he had no movement or feeling in it.

I visited Dominic in hospital and spoke at length to him and his parents. He was not part of a gang but we decided he was at a real risk of reprisals and so agreed for his own safety to find him somewhere else to live away from danger. I made a successful application to a local authority for temporary accommodation which Dominic could go to on his discharge from hospital.

I helped him move and settle into his new small studio flat and apply for benefits although Dominic was keen to find work if his level of recovery allowed it.

Once he was settled, I continued to closely support Dominic to help him get his life back. This has included advocating on his behalf at any appointments and pursuing his case for long-term housing. This has paid off as the local authority offered him a permanent flat which I helped him move into.

Dominic can only speak in a whisper and will need another two operations on his throat and arm. He has expressed a desire to become a train driver and has now successfully gained a place on a programme with a train operator as a first step towards this.

I am continuing to support Dominic through meeting him regularly – ensuring he is safe and continues to bravely overcome the life-threatening attack he survived.”

*Not his real name

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