Alice – Foster Carers Blog
Sunday
The half term break could not have come sooner. After a week of juggling between looking after the family, Alice’s regular appointments, and daily visits to my grandmother, I have been more than ready for a few days break. A very dear friend has generously given us the use of her holiday cottage on the Dorset coast. So after packing up the car, and doing several last minute checks we were soon starting out on the long four hour journey down to the south coast. I was secretly hoping that Alice would fall asleep. It was definitely wishful thinking. No sooner had we got to the motorway she started complaining that she was too cold, then she was too hot, then she was bored. Poor Lauren who was sitting next to her had to put up with her complaints. Fortunately we had remembered to install the DVD players on the back of the headrests. Lauren quickly got out out one of Alice’s favourite movies and got it playing. Peace was once again restored. And Lauren put her earphones back in and listened to her music.
It has been a couple of years since we have been down to Dorset. The house was every bit as lovely as we remembered it. Our friends had bought it several years ago in quite a dilapidated state. Over the years they had carefully renovated it, keeping some of the original features, but also putting lots of high tech mod cons like sensor lights and underfloor heating. Although they wouldn’t say the house was accessible, it is far more accessible than our own home, and it gives Alice the freedom to stay in her wheelchair on the ground floor. She loves that she has more independence and can get around so quickly. We are still waiting for an assessment to have alterations to our own home, so Alice has to get around the house either crawling or shuffling on her bottom.
It is not ideal and certainly not great for her in the long term. The hold up has come because the local authority where we live think that the local authority where Alice if from should foot the bill. And guess what – her local authority think our local authority should pay because this is where she now lives. So we have been at a bit of a stale mate for a while. Once the assessment has been done, we can push to get a decision made, but until we know what sort of figures we are looking at, it is all a bit of pie in the sky.
Once the car is unloaded and the kettle is on, we can relax. Well as much as you can relax when you have a nine year old foster child who is quite demanding, and two daughters who are currently arguing about which bedroom they are having over the next few days! I sit back, cup of tea in hand, give Charlie one of those looks and he knows it’s his turn to be ‘bad cop’. Order is soon restored and now it feels like the holiday can begin!
A Less Ordinary Fostering Family Blog.
