by Casey Watson
Adrianna looked dumbstruck, her jaw hanging open. ‘Oh!’ she said. ‘I really get to do all of those things? That’s so great.’
Alex laughed. ‘Of course you do, silly! He’s your baby, not mine. He’s just staying with us for a little while. I’m here to guide you and help you if you need it, of course, but mainly I just have to let you prove that you can meet his needs. That means showing that you can look after him properly. I have to write reports, of course, so that everybody who matters knows how well you are doing, but really that’s about it.’
It seemed a good opportunity to add my two-pence worth. ‘And I have to do the same,’ I reminded her. ‘Now that your status has changed, and you will be preparing to move on, I also have to write reports, as John probably told you. To prove that you can look after yourself as well.’
‘Independent Polish girl,’ Adrianna said, smiling happily. ‘John explained that. I have to be able to save money, to cook and clean, to wash my clothes. Which I do.’
‘Which you have always done,’ I agreed, grinning at her. ‘Your speciality!’
Before we left, Alex pulled me to one side while Adrianna had nipped to use the toilet. ‘You know, Casey,’ she said, ‘we really don’t mind her calling daily, if that works for you. Or at least every evening to tuck him in. She must be hurting so badly, and forming that bond is so important, don’t you think?’
I could have kissed Alex. What a lovely, understanding young woman she was. And she was spot on. For all that I’d tried to reassure Adrianna to the contrary, it had been nagging away at me for a while now that Ethan would be forming attachments with other maternal figures, and that Adrianna would miss out on such an important part of the bonding process.
‘I can read stories to him at bedtime,’ she enthused to Tyler that evening over tea. ‘And sing him lullabies. Polish lullabies, like my father sang to me. I can’t wait.’
Tyler pulled a face. ‘I’d stick to the bedtime stories if I were you,’ he joked. ‘I’ve heard your singing voice, and you’re no Mariah Carey.’
‘You cheeky thing,’ she replied, giving him a friendly punch. ‘You’d better shape up if you want me to let you be his Uncle Tyler. You need to be like Casey says. In my good book.’
‘Books,’ Tyler said, needing to get the last word in. ‘You mean books, as in plural.’
Adrianna tutted. ‘Yeah, like, Tyler, whateva,’ she drawled. I smiled. Her linguistic education was obviously ongoing.
As was her education on all fronts, with special emphasis on home economics and PSE. And, from now on, all carefully documented by me. Over the next few days I began compiling the report that would be submitted to Panel, who would sit and deliberate once this period of assessment was deemed complete. I had to detail how Adrianna would cope with day-to-day life unsupported, from whether she could cook decent and balanced meals for herself and, obviously, her baby, to whether she knew how to operate all the household appliances. She needed to be proficient at washing and ironing, and to demonstrate that she could prioritise effectively. And she had to understand and manage a budget.
This was all standard stuff, really, for any girl or boy at her age who was in the process of moving on from a foster family. But it was crucially important for Adrianna. It would mean the difference between going on to a mother-and-baby placement – another specialised form of fostering, with its own rules and protocols – or straight into a flat of her own, with a support package in place.
I also encouraged her to think about her plans for the future. In the longer term, yes, she should aspire to be whatever she wanted, but, just as was the case for any teenage single mum coming from the care system, the immediate future would involve many constraints. She needed to decide whether she would take a job and find some childcare, or go to college and make use of their crèche. All of which meant navigating the complexities of the benefit system and, given how long it would probably take even for her to get a National Insurance number, I thought that this might prove a problem. John, however, reassured me that I shouldn’t worry on that score. Jasmine was a whizz, he said, and, if that was Adrianna’s choice, she would be able to guide her through the paperwork.
Adrianna was single-minded, however. ‘I am an independent Polish girl,’ she reminded me. It had almost become her mantra. ‘So I will work. I must work. It is only fair.’
Which put me in mind, once again, of the ladies who’d been so rude about her in Truly Scrumptious. Oh, what I would have given to have had them hear her.
But Adrianna’s immediate future was a great deal less complex. And set to begin the following Tuesday, when my mobile began chirruping, heralding the news she’d waited so long to hear.
I handed the phone to her, so Alex could inform her herself. ‘He is here! My baby’s here!’ she sang. ‘They have delivered him. It is like Christmas!’
And despite the warmth of the spring sunshine and the leaves beginning to unfurl on the trees, it did feel a bit like that, as well.
Fostering brings with it all shades of emotion. Peaks and troughs, high and lows, whatever you want to call them – that hackneyed phrase ‘it’s a rollercoaster ride’ is hackneyed for a reason because, more often than not, it’s so apt. Because there is rarely, if ever, an even keel with a looked-after child. Every one is different; is differently damaged and so has their own unique needs. Each requires different approaches, different goals and different handling, and the desired outcomes, be they ambitious or necessarily modest, are never guaranteed.
There were no guarantees with Adrianna. Only a fool would blithely assume that it would all work out fine. She was 17, far from home and had the world on her shoulders. She had a whole world of struggles ahead of her right now. But as I watched her push her new pram – which was, of financial necessity, an old pram – along the route that would be her regular walk for several months to come now, I decided that, just for once, I would indulge myself. Let myself believe that, in this case, it would all be fine. That our independent Polish girl would live up to the label she had given herself; test her mettle, prove her worth, make a good life for her child. And yah boo sucks to all the doubters, as Tyler might say.
‘Casey,’ Adrianna said, interrupting my reverie. ‘You are crying! Look! All the tears that are rolling down your face!’
I stopped on the path and touched my cheek. Looked down at the baby, who was sleeping. Turned and looked at Adrianna. Then smiled. And then tutted. ‘Well, you’re a fine one to talk, I must say!’
Then, side by side, crying, we carried on our way.
Epilogue
Although Adrianna wasn’t with us for a long time, she had a huge impact in our lives. The inner strength and resilience she displayed not only humbled us but also taught us that not all chaotic beginnings result in fractured lives. This was a big learning experience for us and enabled us to sometimes look beyond that which we thought must be broken, and search instead for the thread of hope and the yearning for something better. Because despite what I had always thought – that trauma will always have a profound adverse effect on a child – Adrianna showed us that this wasn’t always the case. She helped us realise that some children are able to set their past to one side, no matter how horrific, and take what is good in their lives and move forward.
Adrianna was contacted by the police shortly after being reunited with her baby, and she was able to identify a couple of the ‘mug shots’ she was presented with. Recognising faces, however, was not the same as providing names, and the last we heard was they had not come back to her again. And she was happy about that. She really did want to put the past behind her. Her whole past. Her life, she was determined, would start afresh.
She worked hard for four months to prove that she loved and could take care of her baby boy, and then, very unexpectedly, the assessment carers, Alex and Simon, offered her a place in their home for another month. This enabled her to care for Ethan full time, so that she’d get a clear picture of what the future was going to be l
ike. They were – and are – such amazing people. Adrianna naturally jumped at this generous opportunity and it was the best thing she could have done – although, obviously, despite her still being so close by, we all missed her presence in the house terribly.
Of course, we saw her often, because she visited regularly with Ethan Jakob (as he is now called), which allowed us to feel we were a part of his life. And, after that, Adrianna was offered a flat of her own, and a moving-on care worker who would support her for as long as she needed it.
She did also make it to college. Though continuing to work, she enrolled on a college course in design and also, via the persuasive powers of the lovely Jazz, got social services to pay for private piano lessons out of their care-leavers’ budget. And quite rightly, in my book, which was why they were happy to; it would be another string to her bow (or, more accurately, piano), giving her further employment options in the future. Will she eventually become a teacher? I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.
We all still keep in touch with Adrianna – her birthday buddy Marley Mae very much included – and Tyler – her ziom – even goes to stay over from time to time. She is still single at the moment and doing very well for herself, and Ethan Jakob, two and a half now, is like any other toddler; sometimes a ‘little angel’ and other times a ‘little tyke’, switching between both several times on any given day. Needless to say, with Tyler’s continuing input, she now speaks English like a native.
The investigations into the trafficking of ‘hidden children’ continue.
Topics for Reading Group Discussion
1. Having learned about ‘hidden children’, do you think that when these children are discovered they should be sent back to their own countries? Bear in mind that British courts possess the right to take jurisdiction themselves or to pass the case on to the country concerned.
2. When British courts take a given case they use various methods or ‘tests’ to establish whether a child from another European country should be allowed to remain. One of these is called ‘habitual residence’, which looks at how the child is integrated into our country and the consequences of uprooting them. Another is called ‘best interests’. What do you think the courts mean by this, and, if Adrianna had been looked at, what do you imagine her check list of best interests would have looked like?
3. Although human trafficking is often a hidden crime and accurate statistics are difficult to obtain, researchers estimate that more than 80 per cent of trafficking victims are female. Over 50 per cent of human trafficking victims are children. What do you think may have happened to Adrianna if she hadn’t escaped when she did? Consider her pregnancy in particular.
4. Although it is estimated that 30 per cent of humans trafficked are sold into the sex industry, discuss the other areas in which vulnerable men, women and children are useful to traffickers.
5. Since the advent of free movement within most of Europe, discuss the implications you think this has had on our resources as a country. Given the unknown figures – which are thought to be immense – how do you think we could address this? Do you even think we should address this? Do we have a moral responsibility to the children of the wider world?
6. What about the children like Adrianna? She tells Casey she hasn’t been honest about her baby as she is frightened she ‘will be taken to a detention centre’, in other words become a virtual prisoner. Do you think we should have a dedicated ‘safe haven’ for these girls to run to? A place where they could get help without judgement? What would this resource look like?
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