Innocent. Cathy Glass

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Innocent - Cathy Glass


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we need help and we shouldn’t have to jump through hoops or be made to feel guilty for asking. I’d found before that Edith wasn’t the most proactive of supervising social workers compared to Jill, who’d been my supervising social worker at Homefinders, the independent agency I used to foster for. She was a gem, but when their local office had closed and Jill had left, I’d transferred to the local authority. It didn’t make any difference to the children I fostered, but it was at times like this I missed the high level of support and understanding the agency gave its carers twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.

      Thankfully when Edith returned my call an hour later she said Maggie could help and she’d phone me to arrange the details. I breathed a sigh of relief.

       Good Mother

      Maggie telephoned ten minutes after Edith, bright and bubbly, and very willing to help. ‘I hear you’ve got two little ones. That’ll make a nice change,’ she said.

      ‘Yes, although they’re missing their parents dreadfully and we’ve been up all night.’

      ‘Join the club. Anyway, happy to help. As the children have only just been placed with you, I suggest I come to you to look after them, rather than you bringing them here, so they don’t have another change of house.’

      ‘Yes, please. That would be perfect.’ I had thought similar myself.

      ‘I’ll have to bring Keelie with me,’ Maggie said. ‘She’s been excluded from school again. But she’s good with kids and can help me. What time do you want us?’

      ‘The meeting is at one o’clock so twelve-thirty would be good.’

      ‘Fine. We’ll see you then.’

      ‘Thank you so much.’

      ‘You’re welcome.’

      I explained to Molly and Kit what was going to happen – that my friend, Maggie, and a ‘big girl’ called Keelie were coming to look after them while I went to a meeting, and I would come back later. I didn’t tell them I was going to meet their parents, as it would have been confusing and upsetting for them. Both children just looked at me. I didn’t expect Kit to understand, but Molly should have some understanding of what I’d said.

      The morning disappeared. I stayed in the living room for most of it, trying to engage the children in play. I had some success, although I wouldn’t call it playing. They looked at and held the toys, games and puzzles as I showed them, but didn’t actually play. Sammy came to investigate and to begin with was as nervous of them as they were of him. I showed them how to stroke his fur smoothly – running their hands down from his head to his tail. Neither of the children had shown any signs of a fur allergy, and coupled with their father telling Tess he didn’t think they had any allergies I was reasonably confident they weren’t allergic to cat fur at least.

      ‘I want to go home,’ Molly said, rubbing her eyes as if about to cry at the reminder of home. ‘I want my mummy.’

      ‘Mummy, Mummy,’ Kit said, his bottom lip trembling.

      ‘It’s OK. You’ll see her soon.’ I gave them a hug and took out some more toys to distract them.

      Maggie and Keelie arrived just before 12.30 and the children came with me to the front door.

      ‘Hello, baby!’ Keelie squealed excitedly as soon as she saw Kit. She rushed in and picked him up.

      ‘Steady,’ Maggie warned her. ‘He’s already got one broken arm, he doesn’t want another one.’

      I smiled while Keelie scowled at her, and Kit just looked bemused.

      ‘How are you, Keelie?’ I asked her as we went through to the living room. I hadn’t seen her for a few months.

      ‘Excluded,’ she said as if this was her sole purpose in life and her claim to fame. ‘Suits me. I don’t like school and I get a lie-in.’

      Maggie threw me a knowing look. Many schools have stopped the practice of excluding pupils for bad behaviour for this reason. It’s counter-productive. Why should a young person who’s got into trouble be rewarded with time off while their hard-working classmates are busy at school? Also having them unoccupied for large periods of time is likely to lead to more trouble.

      ‘In your dreams,’ she retorted. But I knew she would be in school on Monday. Maggie and her husband would make sure of it, just as they had all the other times she’d been excluded. They knew when to be firm.

      ‘Help yourself to whatever you want,’ I told Maggie. ‘You know where the tea, coffee and biscuits are. Clean nappies and wipes are in their bedroom if you need them. I should be back around two-thirty. I’ve tried to explain to Molly and Kit what is happening,’ I said, glancing at then, ‘but not who I’m meeting.’

      She nodded. ‘I understand. Don’t worry. They’ll be fine.’

      ‘Do they talk?’ Keelie asked. The children were standing in silence, watching her as she continued to explore the toys and games.

      ‘Molly does a little,’ I said. ‘It’s likely Kit will have some language at his age. But they only arrived yesterday, so they are both shy.’

      ‘Was I shy?’ Keelie asked Maggie, glancing up at her.

      ‘No, love, shyness wasn’t really your thing. You showed your upset in other ways.’

      ‘I bet I was a right pain in the arse.’ Keelie grinned.

      ‘Not as much as you are now,’ Maggie replied affectionately, and they both laughed. Despite their banter, I knew how close they were and that Maggie and her husband had worked wonders with Keelie and loved her, as I was sure Keelie loved them.

      ‘Which room is the meeting in?’ I asked the receptionist as I hung the security pass around my neck.

      ‘Room six on the second floor.’

      I thanked her and began up the staircase. I’d been here before. Most of the social services meetings were in rooms on the second floor. I was anxious at meeting the children’s parents, Aneta and Filip, for the first time, but I reassured myself I’d met countless parents during my fostering career, and that they were likely to be as anxious as me. When I’d fostered for Homefinders Jill had accompanied me to most meetings,


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