A Baby's Cry (16 page)

The meeting was scheduled to begin at 11.30 a.m. and was at the council offices. So at eleven o’clock, armed with the ‘baby bag’, as it had become known, which contained all I might need for Harrison, including sterilized bottles, a carton of milk, nappies, baby wipes and nappy bags, I dropped off Adrian and Paula at their respective friends’ houses and continued to the council offices.

I hadn’t been to an adoption planning meeting before, as none of the children I’d previously fostered had left me to go to adoptive parents, although some had subsequently been adopted after they’d left me. Others had returned home or gone to live with a relative in their extended family. I therefore wasn’t sure exactly what to expect at the meeting, although I’d attended other planning meetings before and I guessed they all followed a similar format. But any format or formality disappeared as soon as I walked into the room with Harrison in my arms.

‘Oh! You’ve brought him with you! Fantastic!’ Cheryl, Harrison’s social worker, exclaimed.

‘Let’s have a look,’ one of the two women there I didn’t know cried in delight.

The four of them – Jill, Cheryl and the two women I didn’t know – immediately rose and, coming over, began making a big fuss of Harrison, baby-talking and touching his little hands and feet. Harrison didn’t mind – far from it. He grinned, gurgled, wrinkled his nose and then reached out one little hand as if trying to hold their hands. I felt sure he was playing to the audience.

‘He’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,’ the first woman exclaimed.

‘He’s simply gorgeous,’ the other woman said.

‘He’s grown,’ Jill said, and Cheryl agreed.

‘Can I hold him?’ the first woman asked, holding out her arms to receive him. ‘We haven’t met before. I’m Viera from the adoption team.’

‘Hello,’ I said as I placed Harrison in Viera’s outstretched arms.

‘And I’m Jessica, acting team manager,’ the other woman said, offering her hand for shaking.

‘I’m Cathy. Pleased to meet you.’

Jessica, Jill and Cheryl now regrouped around Harrison in Viera’s arms and continued admiring and baby-talking to Harrison as he grinned and wrinkled his nose endearingly. I was clearly superfluous to needs but I didn’t mind; I felt very proud, as any mother does when her baby is admired.

Eventually, Jessica, as acting team manager, glanced at the wall clock, which was now showing 11.45. ‘Ladies,’ she said, ‘I think we need to start this meeting. I have another meeting straight afterwards.’

‘Oh, must we?’ Viera joked, giving Harrison one last hug before returning him to me.

We eventually settled around the table and I tucked the baby bag on the floor beside my feet so that I could easily reach in for a bottle if Harrison became restless during the meeting.

‘Welcome, everyone,’ Jessica began, picking up a pen and opening a large notepad. Jill also opened a notepad, while Viera and Cheryl had folders on the table in front of them. ‘This meeting is to plan for Harrison’s future, and review our progress in finding suitable adopters for him,’ Jessica said. ‘I shall be chairing and minuting the meeting. Although we have already introduced ourselves, could we do so again, please, for the sake of the minutes? I’ll begin: I’m Jessica Laming, acting team manager.’

Introductions, a chairperson and minuting are usual practice at any social services meeting, and we now went round the table stating our name and role: Viera, social worker from the adoption team; Cheryl, Harrison’s and Rihanna’s social worker; Jill, support social worker from Homefinders fostering agency; Cathy Glass, Harrison’s foster carer. Then after a short pause I added: ‘And this is Harrison, my foster child.’

‘Yes, we mustn’t forget to minute that he’s present,’ Jessica said with a smile. ‘Although I guess you’ll be speaking for him on this occasion?’ I laughed and nodded.

Following the format of previous planning meetings I’d attended I would now have expected Jessica, as acting team manager, to give a brief résumé of Harrison’s case: a little bit about his family history, the circumstances that had brought him into care, as well as the care plan for his future, which I knew to be adoption. Given the secrecy surrounding Harrison’s case I was intrigued to hear what Jessica would have to say about Harrison’s background and family history, and I thought I might learn something – possibly why his mother had had to give him up. I guessed Jill felt the same, for as Jessica began to speak Jill glanced at me and then sat forward in anticipation, pen poised over her pad. However, we were both quickly disappointed.

‘Harrison’s case is very straightforward,’ Jessica began. ‘Rihanna, Harrison’s mother, made the decision while she was expecting that she couldn’t keep her baby and that he should be adopted as soon as possible. Sad though this is, it has meant that the department has been able to start forward planning so that Harrison needn’t be kept in foster care any longer than is necessary.’ This wasn’t a slight on me but an acknowledgement that the sooner Harrison was bonding with his adoptive family the better it would be for him.

‘Harrison is in care under a Section 20,’ Jessica continued. ‘We have his mother’s full cooperation, and I would hope to have him settled with his adoptive parents within the year. Before we hear from Viera, who will give us an update on how our plans are progressing, Cathy, perhaps you would like to say a few words about Harrison – his routine and how he’s settled in with you. He’s obviously doing very well.’

‘Yes, he is,’ I said, while thinking, So you’re not saying anything about Harrison’s family or the secrecy surrounding his case? But it wasn’t for me to pry, so I began the update on Harrison. ‘Harrison has settled very well,’ I said. ‘I feed him on demand – every three to four hours during the day, and he wakes once at night: between two and three o’clock. He then sleeps until nearly six o’clock, which is good.’

All three women nodded and Jessica wrote on her notepad.

‘I take Harrison to the clinic every week to be weighed and measured,’ I continued. ‘The results are entered in the red book, which I’ve brought with me.’ Dipping my hand into the baby bag I took out the red book and handed it to Jessica. She opened it, made a note of Harrison’s most recent weight and then sent the book round the table for the others to look at as I continued. ‘Harrison will start the baby immunization programme when he is two months old,’ I said. ‘The booster injections follow at three and four months of age. I see the health visitor at the clinic and she is happy with Harrison’s progress, as I am.’ I stopped, unable to think what else to say. When I foster older children, who often have special needs and behavioural problems, there is always plenty to say, but now it seemed I’d covered everything.

‘Thank you, Cathy,’ Jessica said, glancing up from writing. ‘Harrison’s certainly looking very healthy.’

‘And smart,’ Viera added. ‘I love his little romper suit.’

‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘I always dress him in the outfits his mother sent.’

Viera looked puzzled.

‘Rihanna sent a suitcase full of clothes for his first year,’ Cheryl clarified, so I guessed Viera didn’t know.

Jessica had finished writing and now looked at me. ‘And there’s been no more sightings of Mum in the street where you live?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘Not as far as I’m aware.’

‘We are not even sure it was Rihanna,’ Cheryl said. ‘I’m still waiting to hear back from her solicitor.’

Jessica made a note and then said to me, ‘Of course you appreciate that under a Section 20, until Harrison is adopted Rihanna has a right to see her son, but we would obviously arrange contact rather than have her just arrive on your doorstep.’

‘Yes, I understand,’ I said.

‘Well, thank you, Cathy,’ Jessica said again. ‘Is there anything you wish to add?’

‘I don’t think so. Harrison is alert and doing everything a baby of his age should be doing. My family and I are enjoying looking after him.’

Harrison gurgled his approval and everyone smiled.

‘Viera,’ Jessica said, turning to her, ‘could you give us your update please, on how your search for an adoptive family for Harrison is progressing?’

Viera nodded and glanced at the top sheet of the file open on the table in front of her. ‘We’ve been very busy,’ she began. ‘We’ve had a lot of interest in Harrison, and we received over seventy applications to adopt him.’

I let out a small gasp and Jill and Jessica raised their eyes in astonishment.

‘He’s a very popular young man,’ Viera continued. ‘We examined each application carefully and have now shortlisted five couples who seem to be the most suitable. Four of the couples are childless and the other couple has one adopted child who is six: they would like to adopt again so that their daughter has a sibling. All five couples are vetted and approved adopters, so we won’t be waiting for approval – you know how long the adoption process can take. These five are also partial matches for Harrison’s cultural identity. We knew we wouldn’t find an exact match because Harrison’s father is—’ Viera stopped and I knew she had been about to give away a detail that could have identified Harrison’s father. I assumed this detail was already known to Cheryl (as Harrison’s social worker) and Jessica (as acting team manager), but it clearly wasn’t to be disclosed to Jill or me.

Viera quickly rephrased: ‘I am sure the adoption panel will consider any one of these couples a good match for Harrison. When I return from leave I shall meet all the couples in their homes and then write my recommendation.’

‘When will that be?’ Jessica asked, glancing up from note taking.

‘I’m on leave for the next two weeks,’ Viera said. ‘I shall begin visiting the couples on my return. I hope to have seen them all by the end of September, and my report should be ready by the end of October.’

‘So you’ll be able to go to the matching panel in November?’ Jessica asked. ‘Then the adoption panel in January? I don’t think they sit in December.’

‘That’s right,’ Viera confirmed. ‘Assuming the panel approves the adoption we can start the introduction of the lucky couple to Harrison straight after the panel meets, with a move in February.’

‘Excellent,’ Jessica said.

‘Cathy,’ Viera now said to me, ‘could you let me have some photographs of Harrison so that I can show the prospective adoptive couples when I visit them?’

‘Yes, I’ve taken plenty.’

‘Good. Also, could you complete these forms so that I can write up Harrison’s profile? The forms are used for children of all ages, so some of the questions won’t be entirely relevant, but if you could put something in each box, that would be good.’

I took the forms Viera now passed across the table and slid them into the baby bag to look at later.

‘Is that everything?’ Jessica asked Viera.

‘Yes, I think so.’

‘Cheryl,’ Jessica now said, looking at Harrison’s social worker, ‘would you like to give us your update, please?’

Cheryl moved slightly closer to the table, and Jill and I exchanged a glance, wondering if Cheryl would give any more details that might explain the mystery surrounding Harrison, but we didn’t wonder for long.

‘There isn’t much to say, really,’ Cheryl began. ‘As you know, all correspondence goes through Rihanna’s solicitor and we haven’t heard from her since Harrison came into care. Our legal department has sent the paperwork for the Section 20 to the solicitor; they’ll also send a copy of the minutes of this meeting when it becomes available. The search for an adoptive family for Harrison is going well, as we’ve just heard. I’m not expecting any problems, as we have Mum’s full cooperation and consent.’

‘And the LAC review?’ Jessica asked.

‘It’s due,’ Cheryl said. ‘Shall we arrange a date now?’

‘Yes, I think we should,’ Jessica said a little firmly.

The LAC (Looked After Children) review is a legal requirement to make sure the care plan is appropriate and the child’s needs are being met. The first review has to be held four weeks after the child comes into care.

‘Can we make it next Wednesday?’ Cheryl asked, taking her diary from her bag and opening it.

‘I’m on leave,’ Viera said.

‘I can give your report,’ Cheryl said.

‘I can make next Wednesday,’ Jill said, and I agreed I could too.

‘We’re obliged to send an invitation to the review to Rihanna,’ Cheryl said to us all. ‘But she won’t attend.’ Then, looking at me: ‘Cathy, on a Section 20, it is usual to have the review in the child’s home. Is that all right with you?’

‘Yes,’ I said. I’d had review meetings in my house before, so I knew what to expect, and it would also save me having to find a sitter for Adrian and Paula as they would simply play in another room.

‘Shall we set the time for eleven o’clock?’ Jessica said, glancing up from minuting.

‘Fine with me,’ Cheryl and Jill agreed, and made a note in their diaries; while I said yes, and made a note in my head.

‘I won’t attend, but an independent chairperson will,’ Jessica added, which was normal procedure.

There being no further business Jessica thanked us all for coming and the meeting ended as it had begun: with the four women fussing over Harrison, and Jill and me none the wiser as to why Harrison’s mother couldn’t keep him and why all the secrecy was necessary.

Chapter Sixteen

The Woman in the Street

CHILD’S PROFILE
To be completed by the child’s main carer in black ink.