Month 8
We both agree that this part of the journey is our least favourite. Its like being told you have won a competition and then having to wait for the prize!!!
As you know, last month our Form F was sent to the Social Worker of the children that Chris felt were suitable for us, and we waited for their reply. They do make you wait these Social Workers!!
In the meantime, the monthly publications of ‘Be My Parent’ and ‘Children Who Wait’ had arrived and we found some other children who we wanted more information about. Again, Chris was given the details and we waited to hear. Some took ages just to call us back and others were happy to chat for ages regarding the children’s background.
We did find this part quite frustrating but Chris reassured us that this is quite ‘normal’ and explained it can take up to four or five weeks before they have time to read all interested adoptive parents forms.
Again when we and Chris were given details of these other children, we listened to Chris’s advice and she only sent our Form F to the Social Workers whose children she felt we could potentially adopt.
It’s so hard as we feel like we are letting them down, but there are couples out there that can cope with issues that we can’t and vice versa, so hopefully all the children will have forever families very soon.
Last week Chris called us with some fantastic news!! We have been shortlisted to match the two children that we saw originally in one of the magazines just before we were approved!! They are so gorgeous!!! Their Social Worker is planning to visit us next Monday!!
We are looking after our friend’s children this weekend and we may have to play a game of ‘Who can clean a room the quickest!!!’ This way the house will look lovely for our visit. I also intend to make some homemade cakes (from M&S) and arrange flowers around the house!!
We must not get excited…but we are!! The picture we have of the children is really nice and they are aged 5 and three which is ideal. Fingers crossed, the Social Worker likes us and feels we could be their new parents. We are not sure how many other couples have been shortlisted so we will just have to see how it goes!!!
We want to decorate upstairs and sell a double bed from one of the spare bedrooms but feel we should wait until we are matched!! If we are matched, we will have to then make arrangements with Chris to meet the children in their foster home and obviously spend time with them there before we can bring them home with us forever.
Once we were approved, I offered to be a volunteer for the agency to help promote not only adoption, but mainly the Catholic Children’s Society (Families are Best) to prospective adoptive parents. I felt that had my friend Liz not been visited at her daughter’s school by a representative from the agency, we would not be here today. It was her that told me all the details after we had been let down by our local social services.
Last month in Nottingham there was a promotion for adoption and all local and independent agencies had stands in the middle of the shopping centre. I went along on the stand for ‘Families are Best’ and really enjoyed it.
We had a few visitors to our stand and it was lovely to talk to people about the whole journey. It is a huge step to take and the initial conversation can be quite daunting but we met some great people and hopefully they will take on board what they heard and will really consider adopting.
To help raise money for the agency too, we are going to organise a dinner dance early next year. Will let you have the details when they are known!!
Next week is National Adoption Week and I am going to be answering the telephones at BT Tower in London!! GMTV feature this throughout the week so I will try and wave at the camera!!
Adoption UK have shown an interest in the cards and I am in talks with them regarding sales and promotion of these.
Wonder what next month will bring!!!
Clare and Jeremy
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