Chloe became involved with Cedar's Inclusion Works service in November 2018 when she was referred by Cedar’s Transitions team. As a new service user of the Inclusion Works service, she worked closely with her assigned Case Officer, Catherine. After Chloe's initial assessments with her Case Officer, a personal action plan was drawn up addressing Chloe’s identified barriers.  The next stage was to agree on the solutions which were promptly put in place to help Chloe to achieve her main goal, which was to find employment.

Due to Covid 19 restrictions, Chloe was keen to find some work at home to keep her focussed. Following a job search with her Case Officer she was immediately drawn to the ‘Body Shop at Home’ concept. Chloe conducted her own further research, to find out what was involved and then after completion of the registration process she became a ‘Body Shop at home’ consultant in July.

“Before working with Cedar, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and was nervous about work".

Chloe stated "I was in the house a lot and felt isolated. During lockdown I wanted to find some work that would keep me busy and also to be able to work from home. Catherine my Case Officer introduced me to ‘Body Shop at Home’ and it has been a really positive experience”.

Chloe's creative flair and entrepreneurialism have led her to establish her own Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/276349870261740 and to create her own branded business and loyalty cards.

Chloe’s Case Officer comments,

“This has been a great opportunity for Chloe, during a time of many restrictions and has helped Chloe to grow in confidence.  She now aims to continue to work on her ‘Body Shop at Home’ enterprise and hopes she can develop it further and take it from strength to strength."

This project is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014 – 2020 and the Department for the Economy. Funding is also provided by the Department for Communities and all five local HSCTs in Northern Ireland.

        


          

ENDS

Inclusion Works supports adults with disabilities who are keen to build employability skills and experience to be work ready, then moving into a paid job, college course or volunteering on leaving. Specialist physical disability, ASD and brain injury support is available and tailored to each individual and their needs. Following initial assessments, participants will build an action plan, drawn from a menu of choices to address their personal barriers and agree solutions to meet their employability and inclusion goals. Inclusion Works is person-centred, encouraging and supporting individuals to design their own programmes around their needs and aspirations, building confidence and independence.