Glass - Innocent: the true story of siblings struggling to survive

Certain details in this story, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the familys privacy.

HarperElement

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First published by HarperElement 2019

FIRST EDITION

Text Cathy Glass 2019

Cover layout design HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

Cover photograph Voisin/Phanie/Getty Images (stock photo posed by models)

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Cathy Glass asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008341985

Ebook Edition September 2019 ISBN: 9780008341992

Version: 2019-06-03

A big thank you to my family; my editors, Carolyn and Holly; my literary agent, Andrew; my UK publishers HarperCollins, and my overseas publishers who are now too numerous to list by name. Last, but definitely not least, a big thank you to my readers for your unfailing support and kind words. They are much appreciated.

Chapter One

Thank goodness I didnt have to witness their anguish and upset, I thought. I was sure I wouldnt have coped. It was bad enough knowing it was happening two young children about to be taken from their parents and brought into care. During the twenty-five years Id been fostering Id seen a lot of changes, but the raw grief of a family torn apart didnt get any easier. I could imagine the children screaming and crying and clinging to their distraught parents as they tried to say goodbye. My heart ached for them. I also had sympathy for the social worker who was doing a very difficult job. No one wants to take children from their parents, but sometimes there is no alternative if they are to be safe.

It was now nearly two oclock in the afternoon and I was standing in what would shortly be the childrens bedroom. I could have put the cot in my room, but I was sure Kit, only eighteen months old, would be happier sleeping with his sister Molly, who was three and a half. Doubtless she too would find comfort in having her younger brother close. Fostering guidelines on bedroom sharing vary slightly from one local authority to another, but generally siblings of the opposite sex can share a bedroom up to the age of five.

Molly and Kit were coming to me as an emergency placement. Stevie, fifteen (whose story I told in Finding Stevie), had left at the end of August and now, a few days later, at the start of September, I was preparing myself and the house for the arrival of these two little ones, who were certainly going to be distraught. Sometimes taking children into care can be done with the cooperation of their parents, voluntarily, which is known as accommodated or a Section 20. Its usually considered the better option, as the parents retain legal responsibility for their children and the process is less distressing for all involved. But that couldnt happen here, so the social services had gone to court that morning to ask the judge for a care order to remove the children from home and bring them to me.

Edith, my supervising social worker, had telephoned at 11 a.m. to tell me to expect the children if the care order was granted. The reason for the social services application was that one of the children (she didnt know which one) had suffered what was thought to be a non-accidental injury. That meant that someone presumably one or both of the parents had harmed the child. Apart from this and their ages, Edith didnt have any more details. I would learn more when their social worker brought the children to me later today.

As soon as Id finished speaking to Edith Id gone into the loft and brought down all the early-years equipment Id stored away there, including a cot, pushchair, car seats and boxes full of toys, all of which Id wrapped in polythene to keep them clean after the last time Id used them many years before. Id struggled to get them down and to assemble the cot on my own, but my family were all out and I didnt dare leave it until they returned in the evening. Adrian, aged twenty-four, and Lucy, twenty-two, were at work, and Paula, twenty, was at college. I was a single parent, my husband having run off with a younger work colleague when the children were little. Very upsetting at the time but history now.

Having made up the bed and cot with fresh linen, I set a toy box at the far end of the room and came out. Hopefully Molly and Kits parents would feel up to packing some of their childrens clothes and toys, as it would help them settle with me to have familiar things around them when everything else in their lives had changed.

Downstairs, I quickly made a sandwich lunch, which I ate at the table with my mobile phone beside me. I was expecting Edith or the childrens social worker to phone at any moment as soon as the care order had been granted and theyd left court. Of course, there was a chance the order wouldnt be granted. If so, then preparing the room would have all been for nothing. It had happened to me in the past Id been put on standby to receive a child or children, and plans had changed at the last minute, which is why foster carers have to be flexible. Its unusual for a care order not to be granted, but what happens more often is that a relative steps in at the last minute to look after the children so they dont have to go to a foster carer they dont know.

Id just finished eating my sandwich when my mobile rang.

Cathy Glass? a female voice asked.

Yes, speaking. I could hear traffic noise in the background.

Its Tess Baldwin, social worker for Molly and Kit. I believe Edith spoke to you this morning and youre expecting Kit and Molly.

Yes, thats right. Their room is ready.

Good. Were on our way to collect them. We should be with you by five oclock. The children have never been away from home before so are likely to be very upset.

Poor dears. My heart clenched. I dont have any information about them other than their ages.

Ill explain more when I see you. The family only came to the notice of the social services on Monday. The decision to remove the children was made by us yesterday afternoon. It was only Thursday now, which showed just how urgent they considered it to be to bring the children to a place of safety.

I had a couple of hours before Molly and Kit arrived. I texted Adrian, Lucy and Paula to let them know the children were coming so it wouldnt be a complete surprise. I then went quickly into the High Street where I bought a trainer cup, nappies and baby wipes for Kit (I assumed he was still in nappies), and some snack food that might tempt them both if they were too upset to eat for example, corn and carrot sticks, little packets of dried fruit and fromage frais in brightly decorated pots. If the children didnt come with their own clothes, Id be back here tomorrow to buy them what they needed. Wed get by tonight with the spares I kept in the ottoman in my bedroom. I had most sizes, from newborn to teens, all washed and pressed and ready for emergency use.