When Madeline arrived on site with her mother Kathryn, she was three months old. For the first three months of her life she had lived with a foster carer and had never spent longer than one night with Kathryn. She had been taken into care almost immediately after she was born.
Madeline was the ninth child that Kathryn had given birth to; all of the previous eight children had been removed from Kathryn’s care because of her poor parenting. Kathryn had several relationships but the most recent was with a man who abused her. But because Kathryn loved him, she put up with it and put him before her children, allowing them to witness their parent’s violent relationship and Kathryn’s increasing journey into depression. Kathryn’s confidence and self-esteem was low and she neglected the wellbeing and safeguarding of her children, to a point that they were removed from her and placed, firstly, in foster care and, later, adopted.
Kathryn’s oldest child was 12 years old and Kathryn was 36 when she found she was expecting her ninth child. Social care eventually decided to give Kathryn one last chance to prove that she could be a good mother. Her lifestyle had changed significantly and she came to live at Save the Family’s site. Kathryn really wanted to prove she could be a good mother but because she had “failed her other children”, as she put it, she wanted help.
Madeline was a beautiful baby but Kathryn felt as though she wasn’t settling and the social worker was concerned about their level of attachment. So, with an agreed support plan in place, Kathryn embarked on an 11 month learning curve. It was a rocky road, but Kathryn was receptive to advice and engaged with us every day. We explored routines: singing and talking to your baby; baby massage; stimulating play; messy play; feeding,weaning and healthy eating; and we talked about Kathryn being the primary educator in her baby’s life. We showed her how the Early Years Foundation Stage worked and helped discover ways to enhance her daughter’s development.
Madeline and Kathryn grew closer and closer. Madeline was growing into a confident and lively toddler who was dressed beautifully, ate a healthy balanced diet, attended all appointments and obviously loved her mother, who also adored her in return. The two laughed and learned together and were eventually ready to re-join their community.
We still hear from them regularly and things are still positive. Kathryn and Madeline are now visiting nurseries in the area as Kathryn has been offered a part-time job. Kathryn has given Madeline the very best start in life and believes that her time at Cotton Hall Farm has made the difference and helped her turn her life around.
