16-Jun to 22-Jun

Family-finding:
- Sibling group of 3 from 'L': we have read their paperwork and there are some great common features between them and us, like family names and so on. We have expressed our ongoing interest in them. After a meeting on 12th June, we are now the only couple being linked with them. We have a meeting on 7th July to meet with their social workers. Very exciting!
- We have now had two meetings with our social worker about a sister and brother from 'D'. Their case is so harrowing and complex that we have had to read all their information at our social worker's office, so that there is support available to us. We have discussed the information we have read and we are happy to proceed and offer them all the support they will need for the rest of their lives. We are still awaiting feedback for their social workers to see if they are interested in linking with us.
- We are also awaiting contact from social workers regarding:

• Three from 'N'
  
• Two from 'Nr'
  
• Three from 'H'
  
• Two from 'Le'
  

Work update:
- Mary is working part time / casually at her local primary school until the end of term and is looking for a permanent role in September
- The course that Mary is studying will help increase her salary and give her more flexibility and choice in the future.
- Mungo is working full time in a permanent IT role. His company, and indeed the MD, are very supportive of our plans and we feel they will be so when he needs to take time off during introductions and settling in
- The course that Mungo is studying will provide him with more opportunities for roles inside and out of the company and provide a secure furture for him, mary and our long awaited Midges!

Home and garden:
- We have a new cleaner who is coming on 26th June to do her first clean. Any bets on how long she will last?
- Cupboard safety catches for kitchen; to be attached when we are matched and before introductions.

Car:
- We will be looking to purchase a nearly new car when we are matched with children. Mungo's car is to stay with us, as we can put car seats in the back of it when we take the children out separately.

Studying:
- Mary: Childcare, Learning and Development, NVQ Level 3 - Received a B in her 4th assignment, has nearly completed her 5th (of 10)
- Mary: passed her NVQ 2 in Basic Food Hygiene - a requirement of working in an afterschool club environment
- Mungo: T175 (Networked Living) - 4th assignment submitted, score was 82% and his final assignment (ECA - End of Course Assessment) was submitted on the 21st May
- Mungo: M255 (Java Programming) - first assignment submitted, score was 79% and his second assignment is due for submission on 4th June.

09-Jun to 15-Jun

Family-finding:
- Sibling group of 3 from 'L': we have read their paperwork and there are some great common features between them and us, like family names and so on. They are definitely of interest to us. We have heard from our social worker that there is to be a meeting on Friday to discuss four couples (including us). So much for us being the only couple they are interested in!
- We have now had two meetings with our social worker about a sister and brother from 'D'. Their case is so harrowing and complex that we have had to read all their information at our social worker's office, so that there is support available to us. We have discussed the information we have read and we are happy to proceed and offer them all the support they will need for the rest of their lives.
- We are also awaiting contact from social workers regarding:

• Three from 'N'
  
• Two from 'Nr'
  
• Three from 'H'
  
• Two from 'Le'
  

Work update:
- Mary is working part time / casually at her local primary school as a Breakfast Club / Afterschool Club Playworker, Lunchtime Supervisor, Teaching Assistant and Treasurer for the Afterschool Club Committee. She has an appointment to see the headteacher on Monday to discuss a permanent role, as the adoption wheels are grinding so slowly.
- The course that Mary is studying will help increase her salary in some of those roles and will give her more flexibility and choice in the future
- Mungo is working full time in a permanent IT managerial job and has been in his current role for over a year. His company, and indeed the MD, are very supportive of our plans and we feel they will be so when he needs to take time off during introductions and settling in. The company is based nearby and is flexible in its approach to home working and time off for meetings and so on
- The course thatMungo is studying will provide him with more opportunities for roles inside and out of the company and provide a secure furture for him, mary and our long awaited Midges!

Home and garden:
- We are still looking for a new cleaner.
- Cupboard safety catches for kitchen; to be attached when we are matched and before introductions.

Car:
- We will be looking to purchase a nearly new car when we are matched with children. Mungo's car is to stay with us, as we can put car seats in the back when we take the children out separately.

Studying:
- Mary: Childcare, Learning and Development, NVQ Level 3 - Received a B in her 4th assignment, has nearly completed her 5th (of 10)
- Mary: passed her NVQ 2 in Basic Food Hygiene - a requirement of working in an afterschool club environment
- Mungo: T175 (Networked Living) - 4th assignment submitted, score was 82% and his final assignment (ECA - End of Course Assessment) was submitted on the 21st May
- Mungo: M255 (Java Programming) - first assignment submitted, score was 79% and his second assignment is due for submission on 4th June.

02-Jun to 08-Jun

Family-finding:
- Sibling group of 3 from 'N': awaiting the full paperwork and outcome of a sibling assessment to identify if they should remain together or be split up.
- Sibling group of 3 from 'L': we have read their paperwork and there are some great common features between them and us, like family names and so on. They are definitely of interest to us. We are waiting for the social worker to let our s/w know if they have read our paperwork and are interested in us.
- We are also awaiting contact from social workers regarding:

• Two from 'Nr'
  
• Three from 'H'
  
• Two from 'Le'
  

- We have an appointment to see our social worker tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss two others. All we know so far is their names, they are a sister and brother and their case is so complex we have to read their information at our social worker's office so that there is support available to us.

Work update:
- We thought you might like updates on our work situation, and how this process is affecting it.
- Mary has spent her entire working life in the Finance and Risk industry, only to be made redundant just as we were starting our adoption journey - perfect timing in some ways but not in others! She decided to change her career completely and, bearing in mind she had little childcare experience, chose to work part time in her local primary school as Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant and Lunchtime Supervisor on a one year contract. When the contract was up we went to panel and, believing matching to a sibling group was on the horizon, decided to work casually, so as to not have to start a permanent job only to give it up a short time later.
- Mary is still working casually at her local primary school as a Breakfast Club / Afterschool Club Playworker, Lunchtime Supervisor, Teaching Assistant and Treasurer for the Afterschool Club Committee. She doesn't do all that every day though, she still manages to work part time! She is seriously considering that permanent role, as the adoption wheels are grinding so slowly.
- The course that Mary is studying will help increase her salary in some of those roles and will give her more flexibility and choice in the future
- Mungo is working full time in a permanent IT managerial job and has been in his current role for over a year. His company, and indeed the MD, are very supportive of our plans and we feel they will be so when he needs to take time off during introductions and settling in. The company is based nearby and is flexible in its approach to home working and time off for meetings and so on
- The course thatMungo is studying will provide him with more opportunities for roles inside and out of the company and provide a secure furture for him, mary and our long awaited Midges!

Home and garden:
- Mary has had to sack the 5th cleaner, as she just wasn't cleaning anything!
- Cupboard safety catches for kitchen; to be attached when we are matched and before introductions.

Car:
- We will be looking to purchase a nearly new car when we are matched with children. Mungo's car is to stay with us, as we can put car seats in the back when we take the children out separately.

Studying:
- Mary: Childcare, Learning and Development, NVQ Level 3 - Received a B in her 4th assignment, has nearly completed her 5th (of 10)
- Mary: passed her NVQ 2 in basic Food Hygeine - a requirement of working in an afterschool club environment
- Mungo: T175 (Networked Living) - 4th assignment submitted, score was 82% and his final assignment (ECA - End of Course Assessment) was submitted on the 21st May
- Mungo: M255 (Java Programming) - first assignment submitted, score was 79% and his second assignment is due for submission on 4th June.

May

- Still awaiting a phone call / paperwork about three groups of siblings: S+2, a group from 'N' and a group from 'L'.
- Decided to take S+2 off our radar, due to a lack of response from their social workers.
- Also expresses our interest in three other groups of siblings: from 'Nr', 'H' and 'Le'.

19-May to 25-May

Family-finding:
- Sibling group of 3 from 'N': we have read the basic profiles on these children and are still awaiting the full paperwork and outcome of a sibling assessment to identify if they should remain together or be split up. This will take several weeks.
- Sibling group of 3 from 'L': we have read their basic profiles and full paperwork. They are definitely of interest to us. We are waiting for the social worker to return from holiday (after 21st May) to start family-finding. Let's hope we are included in their plans.
- We have also expressed our interest with our social worker in three other sibling groups and are awaiting contact from their social workers:

• Two from 'Nr'
  
• Three from 'H'
  
• Two from 'Le'
  

Home and garden:
- Mary had an issue with the cleaner :( She has complained to the company and is hoping things will improve over the next couple of weeks
- Cupboard safety catches for kitchen; to be attached when we are matched and before introductions.

Car:
- We will be looking to purchase a nearly new car when we are matched with children. Mungo's car is to stay with us, as we can put car seats in the back when we take the children out separately.

Studying:
- Mary: Childcare, Learning and Development, NVQ Level 3 - Received a B in her 4th assignment, has nearly completed her 5th (of 10)
- Mungo: T175 (Networked Living) - 4th assignment submitted
- Mungo: M255 (Java Programming) - first assignment submitted, score was 79%.

12-May to 18-May

Family-finding:
- S+2: we have decided not to keep these on our radar :( it has been two months since we expressed our interest and we have heard very little in the last few weeks.
- Sibling group of 3 from 'N': we have read the basic profiles on these children and are still awaiting the outcome of a sibling assessment to identify if they should remain together or be split up. This will take several weeks.
- Sibling group of 3 from 'L': we have read their basic profiles and are waiting the social worker to return from holiday (after 21st May) to start family-finding and send us the paperwork.
- We have also expressed our interest with our social worker in three other sibling groups and are awaiting contact from their social workers:

• Two from 'Nr'
• Three from 'H'
• Two from 'Le'
  

Home and garden:
- Mary is still happy with the cleaner - yay!
- Cupboard safety catches for kitchen; to be done when we are matched and before introductions. They are now purchased and sitting in a drawer awaiting attachment.

Car:
- We will be looking to purchase a nearly new car when we are matched with children. This car is not that much different to what Mary has right now! It is big enough to fit in all the car seats we might need AND there is ample storage space for all their gubbins :) What tops it all is the 'slidy doors'! This will make getting in and out so much easier.
- We will put Mary's cherished number plate on retention as soon as we are matched. Mungo will then get it advertised and sold privately, because we are likely to get at least 3k more than trade
- Mungo's car is to stay with us, as we can put car seats in the back when we take the children out separately.

Studying:
- Mary: Childcare, Learning and Development, NVQ Level 3 - Received a B in her 4th assignment, has started the 5th (of 10)
- Mungo: T175 (Networked Living) - 4th assignment submitted
- Mungo: M255 (Java Programming) - first assignment submitted, score was 79%.

5-May to 11-May

Family-finding:
- We have expressed our interest in three sibling groups:
- S+2: we have had full paperwork on these and are awaiting a call back from the social workers to advise whether we will be linked. Our social worker says that she thinks they are already family-finding. vWe have been waiting to hear since mid-March, so if we have heard nothing by this week then we shall take them off our list.
- Sibling group of 3 from 'N': we have read the basic profiles on these children and are awaiting the outcome of a sibling assessment to identify if they should remain together or be split up. This will take several weeks.
- Sibling group of 3 from 'L': we have read their basic profiles and are awaiting the social workers to start family-finding. Thursday: we received an update from our social worker: their social worker is on holiday until 21st May (grrrr...) and if the paperwork is updated whilst she is away she will arrange for it to be sent over.
- Saturday: The latest literature of children who are waiting to be adopted was delivered this morning. We have seen some groups that we would like information and and have emailed our social worker with the details.

Home and garden:
- Mary has taken on the cleaner :)
- Cupboard safety catches for kitchen; to be done when we are matched and before introductions. They are now purchased and sitting in a drawer awaiting attachment.

Car:
- We will put Mary's cherished number plate on retention as soon as we are matched. Mungo will then get it advertised and sold privately.
- Mungo's car is to stay with us, as we can put car seats in the back when we take the children out separately.

Studying:
- Mary: Childcare, Learning and Development, NVQ Level 3 - Received a B in her 4th assignment, has started the 5th (of 10)
- Mungo: T175 (Networked Living) - 4th assignment submitted
- Mungo: M255 (Java Programming) - first assignment submitted, score was 79%