Hello!
For those of you unfamiliar, I offer shared foster care and cover emergencies.
Shared care is where you give either another foster carer or a child's family a break by having their child for usually 1-7 nights, quite often just one or two nights.
Emergency care are where Social Services phone you and ask you to take a child that night for at least one night. I've done this over a dozen times and least notice I've had is 15mins and most 7hrs. Some of these kids have stayed just one night; longest was 21 nights.
I've looked after 23 kids to date.
Monday - kids
Lilo and Stitch are still with me but were due to go back to their main carer this morning, however she's asked for an extension due to illness. You can't just pass kids between you however so we sort it via our social workers. I let school know the kids will be staying with me until Tuesday too.
They get off to school well and the evening is all good too. We play games and have a pretty swell time. I am tired though but one more night...
Tuesday - kids!
The two little ones get off to school no problem and I think it's the last I'll see of them for a while so I email Placement team to say I'm now free and put all their bedding in the wash. I tidy up their rooms and bathroom too.
Placement email and ask for a girl, but I decline as I'm too tired for this particular girl, knowing what it could involve. Good thing too as two hours later I get a phone call asking for me to pick Lilo and Stitch up from school later on, as their carer is still too ill to have them back. I ring my social worker to check, and it's agreed upon, and then school is informed too. Soooooo after packing up all their belongings I have to unpack everything and remake their beds.
Just in time too.
I collect the little ones and the evening is again pretty good. They're comfy around me and we get on well.
Wednesday - kids!
The little ones get off to school no problem. After school Stitch is seeing Mum and Aunty and Lilo is having play club, so I wont see them until 430pm ish. During the day I get on with working from home.
Just before I'm due to receive Stitch back Aunty changed the arrangements but hey ho, its off to work we go. When I meet up with the kids I meet Mum and Aunty for the first time. I'm not really sure what I think to be honest.
The kids get off to bed no problem. Before I head off I clean and tidy and do their notes ready to send on Thursday.
Thursday - kids!
This is Lilo & Stitch's last day with me for what has been an extended stay. Their school is closed today and so we are having an at home day. I do need to do various 'boring' things today so they have to come with me. One of these is to go vote. They think this is the most boring thing ever, but when they realise it takes all of two seconds, wonder why so few people bother to vote. Good question!
In the evening they go back to their main carer but before they do I get rung and ask to take a boy for the night who is up in court right now. It looks like he'll be tagged but no family members want him home so he'll have to go to temporary foster carer, AKA me. I say yes.. but 30mins later am rung back as the lad's been remanded and so he wont need a carer as he'll be in a cell somewhere.
I take the little ones home and when I get in have to do my homework for a training course I'm doing every Friday. I also blitz the house and then relax for a bit.
Friday - kids!
I'm up early as I have to leave at 8am to get to my foster carer training by bus on the other side of town. I find the session really difficult. Less said the better.
I get home and have an hour before I need to leave to pick up a girl from her relative who is staying the weekend. Whilst I'm eating my dinner Placement ring twice and email three times about three different children. I read two referrals and accept one of them, but from Monday.
I pick up the little one, lets call her Belle, from her relatives no issue and we get the bus back to mine. She's hyper. Really really bouncing. Still it's only a weekend! What could possible happen?
Actually Belle's just curious really. She gets to bed on time too.
Saturday - kids!
As it Belle's first weekend with me I'm not planning to go out much with her. We don't know each other - I have no idea if she'll run off, and she has no reason to trust me.
We do pop out to the local school who have a Christmas Fayre on where there are loads of games. She wins a bunch of small prizes and seems pleased with herself.
In the afternoon we play Legos and she settles down well. She is able to concentrate for good amounts of time. We also play Uno and a pairs matching game. She enjoys winning but also seems to have enough self-esteem that losing sometimes to me feels okay too.
She has a few quirks - as we all do I'm sure - including finding bright lights and loud noises painful and randomly shouting out things at others or traffic, or actually nothing at all.
She gets off to bed without issue and it's an easy day, actually.
Sunday - kids!
Belle and I do a few things today. Nothing extravagent or adventurous though because we are new to each other. We actually just pop to town to go to McDonald's as that's what she has asked to do.
Before town and after we play Lego Jurassic World on the PS3 which she really enjoys.
Getting her home was a pain though! I have to do the transport and we miss the once-an-hour-only bus and so have to take two buses home instead and then on my way home I try to get this mythical once an hour bus and it's a giant pain!
Weekend was good on the whole though. Job done.
All the best, BF
NB Bristol Fostering is a personal blog and not affiliated with any fostering agency. The author just happens to be a foster carer in Bristol, UK
We do recommend Bristol Council though as they're fab. Bristol Council fostering inquiry form
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