Angela Hart - The Girl with the Saddest Secret: The True Story of a Troubled Little Girl and the Foster Carer who Gives her Hope

The Girl with the Suitcase

The Girl in the Dark

The Girl Who Wanted to Belong

The Girl with Two Lives

The Girl and the Ghosts

The Girl Who Just Wanted To Be Loved

Terrified

Anything interesting?

Jonathan was clutching a pile of post hed picked up from the doormat.

Mostly junk and a couple of bills by the looks of it.

Having taken Erica to school, we were having a quick cuppa before starting work in our florist next door. Jonathan opened one of the letters and winced.

Whats the matter?

Its our buildings and contents insurance. Its gone up again! Can you believe this quote? I think wed better shop around.

I took one look and immediately agreed. Ill do it, you get on.

I poured a cup of tea for our assistant, Barbara, which Jonathan took through to the shop with him. After setting off the dishwasher and checking the rest of the post I called our insurance broker. The number was busy so I left a message, requesting a call back.

Minutes later, the phone rang. That was quick, I thought, picking up a pen as I lifted the receiver.

Morning, Angela!

It was our support social worker, Caitlin, sounding her usual chirpy self.

Oh, hello! I wasnt expecting it to be you.

Have I called at a bad time?

No, not at all. Im waiting for a call from the insurance company but Id much prefer to talk to you.

Caitlin explained that she had an eight-year-old girl who needed looking after and wondered if we could help.

Her foster carer is asking for some respite cover. Just a couple of nights. I know youve got a houseful at the moment, but if you can help us out, Id be very grateful.

Jonathan and I had trained as specialist carers for teenagers with complex needs some twenty years earlier, after starting our foster career in the late eighties. Alongside troubled teens we continued to take in children of all ages, whether they needed specialist care or not. There wasnt much that fazed us and we always tried to help Social Services if we could. Having said that, we did need to consider little Erica, who had been living with us for six months. She was nine years old and could be quite a shy and sensitive soul.

We also had my mum staying with us temporarily, as she was recovering from an operation on her back, plus eighteen-year-old Anthony, who was a former foster child we were helping out. We were passed to take in up to three children at any one time and had three bedrooms we normally used for the kids we took in, but with Mum and Anthony occupying two of the rooms, this little girl would have to go in the bunk bed in Ericas room.

What can you tell me about her? I asked Caitlin. Im just thinking about Erica, because shed have to share a room with her.

Im afraid I dont have any information on why her foster carer is asking for respite. Her names Jasmine and like I say shes eight. Shes in her first term of Year 4 and she isnt statemented.

We knew very well that the fact a child didnt have a statement of educational needs (SEN) did not necessarily mean they didnt have special needs. They may simply not have gone through the process of being statemented yet, so this didnt really tell us a great deal.

Can you give me a minute and Ill check with Jonathan and give you a buzz back?

Of course. Thanks, Angela. Im heading out shortly, but Ill be on the mobile and if I dont pick up Ill call you back as soon as I can.

Caitlin was an extremely efficient and hard-working support social worker, one of the best wed had. No sooner had she arranged one placement than another child in need would come on to her books. Despite having such a heavy caseload, she didnt ever complain or get flustered; in fact, she was generally upbeat. It was always easy to get hold of her, nothing was ever too much trouble and she didnt make us feel under pressure to take a child in, even though we knew full well that it would create extra work and stress for her if we said no.

A minority of kids on Caitlins books might be waiting for adoptive parents to be cleared to take them in, which meant they would be best matched with foster carers who preferred to do short rather than long-term or open-ended placements. The future for the rest of the children would be much more uncertain. They might have just been taken into care, either having been removed by the courts or placed voluntarily in care by their family, or they might have been in care for some time but now needed a new home, perhaps because their previous placement was breaking down or because they had been placed in a secure unit or childrens home as there was nowhere else to go. Some kids simply needed a short respite stay, away from their family home or from their current placement, like Jasmine. Others might be working towards returning to their family, in which case the length of their stay could be very unpredictable. Weve always made ourselves available to any children in need of foster care, no matter what their situation or how long they might stay with us, and so our lives had become very unpredictable too!

I nipped through to the shop. Though Jonathan and I had been working as a team for such a long time and trusted and supported each others decisions completely, we still always checked with each other before agreeing to take in a new child.

An eight-year-old girl? Two nights?

Yes, thats what Caitlin said. Respite from her current placement, she doesnt know why its been requested.

Well, Im sure we can manage that. Shell have to share with Erica and go in the bunk beds, wont she?

Yes, the girls can share, that was the first thing I thought of too and I mentioned it to Caitlin. Just as well weve got the bunk beds and the girls are close in age.

Jonathan and I always did our level best to help and I dont think we once said no to Caitlin. In turn, I dont think Caitlin ever said no when she was asked to help her colleagues in an emergency.

Ill phone Caitlin back.

Jonathan grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. We always feel a mixture of nervous anticipation and excitement whenever we agree to foster another child, and that has not changed, even now, after fostering more than fifty children over three decades. Many people have told us they admire us for being foster carers for all these years. They often tell us things like, I couldnt do it, you are so selfless! But the truth is, weve carried on fostering because we love doing it, and part of that enjoyment comes from the lift we all get as humans when we help someone in need and see the benefit it brings to them. There is no better reward in life.

Caitlin answered her mobile after two rings and was delighted when I told her we would cover the respite care. It was a Wednesday and she said shed like to arrange for us to meet Jasmine and her foster carer on the Saturday, with a view to Jasmine staying with us the following week.

Ill confirm everything as quickly as possible and let you know where the meeting will be.

OK. Theres no rush. Erica has a dance class at nine in the morning but other than that well keep Saturday free and Ill make sure weve got cover in the shop.

Perfect.

Caitlin was back on the phone within ten minutes and it was arranged that we would meet Jasmine and her foster carer, who was called Fran, in McDonalds in the next town on Saturday lunchtime. This was a typical time and place to meet up during term time, as it meant kids didnt need to miss school and of course the lure of fast food always helped lift the mood. It was fine for Erica to come with us; in fact, Caitlin said it might help break the ice, given that the girls were close in age.

I popped next door to give the news to Jonathan and to double-check with Barbara that shed be happy to run the shop on her own for a few hours on Saturday, as she normally did if we had other jobs on.