Tuesday 5th April
There are some weeks when all medical appointments for Alice seem to come together! Today we have had to visit the GP surgery, because Alice has had an infection in her urine. Unfortunately her infection seems to have been resistant to the previous course of antibiotics so the GP is trying to work out the next course of treatment. We arrive home to a visit from our Agency Social Worker for a ‘supervision’ visit. At times it has felt a bit of a box ticking exercise, but we have come to realise its importance. It is a real chance to talk about how things are going day to day – the highs and the lows. Our social worker is on our side – she is not judging us, she is here to help and support us. She is also an excellent sounding board for when we want to try new strategies. It works because she is not here day to day, so she can look in from the outside and give a fairly objective opinion.
Whilst we have been fostering for three and half years, we have only been with our current agency for around six months, We made the move to a new agency because we felt that we needed a little more support – especially with Alice being a fairly complex child. So far we have been really impressed with them. Having our social workers support at Looked After Child reviews and meetings at school has been invaluable.
Today we have also had a visit from Alice’s Local Authority Social Worker. I have mentioned before that we have had a mixed bag when it comes to social workers, but our current worker is fab. She totally gets Alice. We don’t have to explain everything to her – she understands. She is another person who does what she says she is going to. I really feel like we can trust her!
After the social worker leaves, the physiotherapist arrives for a home visit. I am already feeling exhausted, but I must put my poker face on, take a deep breath, and gather some energy for this appointment, but fortunately it is a short visit. After the Physio has assessed Alice in her standing frame she gives me the new exercise plan and leaves.
I take a deep breath and I’m pretty sure an involuntary sigh leaves my body. I put the kettle on for a cuppa. A cup of tea is defiantly in order. We can now finish the rest of our Easter holidays with no more professionals coming through the door, but then again, so much has been achieved today, and we have a few days left to have fun with the children before school starts back! And we have so many Easter eggs still to finish….
A Family Less Ordinary Blog
