At 16, Kerry’s relationship with her mum broke down. For the next two years, she moved between friends’ sofas and her grandmother’s house, never feeling settled or secure.
Today, she works for Depaul UK as a Reconnect worker, helping other families avoid the same experience.
“I can now see it from my mum’s perspective,” Kerry says. “She did try. But she didn’t have enough support, and neither did I.”
Kerry’s work starts with something simple: listening. She helps young
people find the words for what they’re feeling, and helps families argue well instead of not at all. “We’re not teaching them to avoid conflict,” she says. “We’re teaching them how to argue well, to disagree without it destroying everything.”
Often, it’s the first time a young person has felt properly heard. “A lot of young people don’t feel heard by adults,” Kerry says.
“So much of the feedback I get is: ‘I felt heard.’ That is often all it takes to start the change.”
