Paul's Story
As a result of his early years of abuse in the family home, Paul needed special understanding from his crisis carer, Anna. Paul, aged only 7, had a history of suspensions from school, he was unable to sit still and his behaviour was often disruptive.
Anna lived with her 19 year old son Joel and fostered Paul as a crisis placement. The disruption caused by Paul in the foster home meant that there were frequent calls placed from Anna to Barnardos for support and help to cope with his behaviour. Paul knew that the Children’s Court was deciding his long-term future.
It seemed however that Anna's son Joel, a patient and immensely mature young man, was the crucial factor in this story. Anna and Joel developed a relationship with Paul that gave the unhappy boy a glimpse of what a real family could be like. Eventually his distressed behaviour became calmer and school suspensions became a thing of the past.
The Children’s Court decided that Paul could not return to his abusive family. As a result, an adoptive family where Paul could remain with for the rest of his childhood, was specially recruited by Barnardos. When the time came for him to move in with them, he was sad to leave Anna but he knew that she and Joel could stay in touch with him as special friends and he was able to look forward to the future.
Temporary Family Care - Crisis
