What’s going wrong in 2018

It’s April and it’s 2018 and you’d be forgiven for wondering what was going wrong in UK Society. The media all of a sudden appear to be picking up on stabbings and murders in London. 80% the population are disturbed with this seemingly ‘new’ trend and 20% are wondering why, all of a sudden, we…

The Role of IRO’s

I admit I have been critical of IRO’s in the past but only because I know how important they are. I can, for example, refer to the time when I asked an IRO what she thought about a local authority policy that was clearly not in the best interests of the child and contrary to…

The Description and the Reality

I stood on the edge of Delamere Forest in Cheshire on Saturday waiting for a Den building group of foster families and children to join me and the park ranger to learn what to do should you ever get stranded in a forest with no tent. Although my team is responsible for the placing of…

Children and Politics

I remember a time when I was told that politics should be understood by the young because the young would one day be the current and the current are the ones that vote and make a difference to the world. I have on many occasions suggested to young people and my peers that have not…

Mother’s Day 2017

Another year passes and another Mother’s Day sneaks upon me in which I have to ponder who’s going to get my attention first. Is it my Mother or is it my wife for whom her 10-year-old daughter will need some help from Daddy to go out and get something to show her affection? I am…

My Story in Care

I had not done anything wrong. I was a normal teenager but my parents couldn’t deal with that. My mother had mental health problems which she still struggles with and she would constantly lie to my father about things I had said or done. I had two younger brothers, one of which was severely disabled.…

A day in the life of a placement officer

8.45: It’s a Monday morning and the first thing I do is send an email to all the social workers as a last check for any movements in placements which have happened over the weekend or in the last week. 8.50: I complete the compiling of our accounting form for the last week. This means…