Introduction

      Dear readers,

      I’m excited to share with you a collection of short stories about some of the children who have briefly passed through our lives yet left a lasting impression. Although Mike and I are specialist carers, and ideally are meant to look after children for much longer periods of resettling, we are often asked to take in emergency or short-term children in between placements. We love doing this, of course, and through it we have met some delightful new people, both of the little variety (the children) and the larger kind (social workers and new teams of staff), whom we otherwise wouldn’t have met.

      These shorter placements can bring a feeling of achievement, when we’ve been able to play some part in helping a particular young person in need, but they can often leave us feeling sad and discontented that we’ve only been a stop-gap, a stepping stone on a much longer journey that we won’t be part of. That, unfortunately, is the nature of the beast, and we are well aware that fostering doesn’t always guarantee a happy ending. But it doesn’t stop us from hoping and trying.

      When I was a small child I remember watching a James Cagney film with my grandmother called Angels with Dirty Faces. That film – and the morals behind it – have always stayed with me; the idea that circumstances determine what will become of us and our ability to change lives. I often think of our foster children as angels with dirty faces, and although I am neither a racketeer nor a priest, I like to think that I can play a small role in helping these kids move on to lead stable, happy lives.