Sometimes......

Sometimes things go a little bit right.

Some years back we fostered a young man who had been in and out of care all of his life because of his mums frail mental health.

She is a fantastic mum, something we never tired of telling her and, flicking back through the archives oh here will reveal plenty of evidence.

How she trecked across Wales on trains on her own, the day after ECT. How she was shaking, literally dribbling but she put her son first and somehow got here.

The little things and big things, the good times and hard times, through it all she put her son first.

For ourselves I think one of the outstanding moments of our career was when we turned up at a meeting where it had been decided beforehand that P was going for adoption. Getting looked after children adopted was a "target" at the time. I looked across the room at her and just knew. If that happened, it might be under a train, it could be off a bridge, but the result would be the same.

We really could not sit back and so, we didn't do much we just helped her work out what she needed to do and who she needed to talk to.

This set in train a pivotal series of events, we weren't major league players but we did play our small part, and putting the block on that adoption was one of the best things we have ever helped do. One of the best bits of social work we ever achieved.

But enough about us she is a truly selfless lady that makes the dark times with other children and other parents seem worth it.

I could actually name him now, he isn't in care any more, he is back with his mother. Well, no actually, at the moment he has come back to his "other home" and he'd downstairs somewhere on the Wii.

That's something some social workers find hard to grasp. Many come into work do a very good job (sometimes) then go home.

So they think we should take a child in, have them as part of the familly for 3 or 4 years then wave them goodbye and thats that.

It does not really work like that for foster carers.

(That's not denying that there are not children whose departure is a cause for relief or even celebration)

But anyway I digress, the little angel (not) is back with us for a few days this week and will be returning again soon.

Mum, being a good mum is fine with this and recognises the key part we have played in his life and is happy.

Happy to the point where she spent money buying an easter egg for every child in the household. She dosn't have a lot, they survive on benefits, so that was a lot of money for her to find. Some guy made an comment once how a mite from a Widow can represent more than a pile of money from a rich business man.

It's the same with her.

It's also true that an Easter egg from her is valued here far more than the extravagant plaque we got given for sticking with the agency for 10 years.

Then again, it's not really the "agency" we stick with.

An Easter egg every so often is really nice though....

R