In the second of our four-part series, find out how getting approval and meeting a new baby through Concurrent Planning worked for Christine and Ian and their little boy Adam
Part Two – Getting Approval and Meeting Baby
Following our Panel interview, we were delighted to be approved, and one month later we had the call that there was a child who might need to come to us – a six-month-old baby boy! It just got real! We had the call on a Friday, and started having chats with our employers that we might or might not be taking adoption leave very soon. We both work full-time, and had been working with our employers throughout the whole process. We received lots of support, and we’re hugely grateful for this.
The weekend was difficult – we wanted to go and buy things to be ready, but needed to wait for the next call before we did anything. We basically just made ourselves as busy as possible! Whilst we were excited for the call to come, the difficult part was realising that somewhere else, a parent was about to hear that their child would be taken into care. As existing parents, this was tricky to handle, but part of the process – so be ready for the conflicting emotions!
The call came at lunch on the Monday that the court order had been granted. There was just enough time to grab the essentials for caring for a baby in your home and at 5pm that day, we welcomed Daniel into our home, our family and our hearts. At the start of this journey we had learned how life as a foster carer can be difficult, as you don’t want to grow too attached to the children, in readiness for when they leave you. Within minutes, we had so much love for this little boy. We were ready to ensure that, even as a baby, Daniel would know how precious, safe and loved he was.
Once again, our social worker, Karyn, was amazing! During the initial meeting with Daniel and his social worker, our heads were pretty scrambled. Thankfully Karyn was asking all the things we needed to know, such as his routine, diet, contact arrangements, planning meetings etc. That meant we could concentrate on getting to know our new house-guest!
As existing parents, the next part of caring for Daniel was pretty easy, as we’d been there before. There were a few differences to get our heads around, such as formula and bottles, but we got there!
At this stage, our support network was amazing! We were inundated with food deliveries, nappies, clothes, offers of care for Adam, house-cleaners – everything. Our advice…. ‘Say yes!’ For those first few weeks, your attention needs to be on this little person, not on planning tea or even washing up!
Read more – next time we’ll find out how Christine and Ian got on meeting the baby’s birth Mum…
Listen to Christine reading Part 2 of her story here
