If I could give you one gift it would be to see yourself through my eyes and then you would see how special you really are.

Saturday 17 August 2013

A little crack in my heart

Due to unforeseen circumstances Child 4 has been placed in respite foster care, probably until he can come home with us.

I spoke to our social worker last night, "we could just go and get him and bring him home now" but of course the policies and procedures that dictate how placements are set mean that this cannot happen.

The government is changing the law so approved adopters can foster a child they hope to adopt before the legal process is complete.   But this is still in its trial period, the system is not running in our council, but our fantastic social worker is going to investigate the possibility of us being registered as emergency foster carers just in case we can work something out.

I know that rules and regulations are required and I am also very aware that when on one of our courses when the fostering to adopt scheme was first mentioned I was very cautious even quite cynical. I felt that although it definitely had potential, as prospective adopters I did not know if I could  put our family forward. Why? You ask, because foster care is very different to adoption. Children placed in foster care can be reunited with their birth parents if the birth parents can show a change in their behaviour or their circumstances. Which of course is exactly how it should be but  can  you imagine the heartbreak for the potential adopters?

Now of course, when that same scheme could possibly have meant that we could have stepped in as child 4's respite carers I would sign up now!

What I am finding so very hard about all this is that he's mine and he is in trouble and probably scared and confused and there is absolutely nothing that I can do.

If child 1,2 or 3 needed me to save them from where ever they were I would be on my way!

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