GRAHAM, 12, is one of the first two dozen children who have graduated from the Multidisciplinary Treatment Foster Care programme in Glasgow.
He has recently swapped the programme for a 'move on' foster placement, having successfully completed the three levels of the scheme.
A short attention span meant his schooling suffered and his rages led to a residential unit stay and a series of foster placements falling through.
Graham has been 'looked after' since he was eight. Part of a large family, all of his five siblings have been in care at some point due to a lack of parental care.
However, in return for incentives such as a trip to Nardini's in Largs and a longer one to Legoland in Windsor that involved his first ever flight, he has learned to change his behaviour dramatically.
With the support of therapists and a skills coach he has learned to be more attentive, stay calm and avoid distractions. Other life skills he has learned include being able to ask for help and doing things straight away when he is asked.
"I used to hit people when I got angry. Now if people annoy me I just leave or ignore them and get on with it," he says.
His mum and cousin have been involved in the scheme and he now has a good relationship with them. Having developed interests in judo and horse-riding, Graham also gets on well with the poodle and bichon dogs in his new placement. "Somewhere with animals was on my wishlist," he grins.
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