Wednesday’s Fostering Blog
So this evening we have Alice’s Looked After Child Medical. It has been postponed twice already and is now long overdue. We are very fortunate to have a Looked After Nurse that we have met on at least three occasions before. It is always helpful to have consistency and a familiar face. There are many times with professionals where it is a case of yet another new adult – this of course does not help with her attachment issues, but can’t be helped when there is such a high turnover of staff. This nurse is great though, she has obviously read the notes before she arrives as she was able to recall things that came up in last years medical. She remembered that Alice was on the waiting list for bladder surgery and asked how it had all gone.
Although the LAC medical can feel like just another appointment along with the many others, and a bit of a box ticking exercise, it is actually really important. It makes sure that she has attended all the right appointments, is accessing the relevant services etc. It is a safety net, and ensures that things are not missed. Also the nurse has more powers to push for things that as a foster Carer we are not able to do. For example we have an 18 month wait for an Occupational Therapy home assessment. Quite rightly the nurse says this is not acceptable. She will be able to use her powers and Alice’s Looked After Status to chase this.
Just before the nurse left she needed to weigh Alice. We know that she was underweight but I have to admit when seeing it on a chart it was quite a shock. At 8 Years old she is just over 14.5 kilos. That is the average weight for a three and a half year old. This accounts for why so many people talk to her like she is a toddler and probably why so many people comment on how bright she is. Well for a 3 and a half year old – yes she would be bright, not so much for an 8 year old!
A Less Ordinary Family Foster Care Blog
