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couldn’t afford to skip meals and then make up for it with biscuits. I sat with Adrian in my lap; he was contentedly gurgling, occasionally yawning and waving his arms. Dawn appeared to have lost her immediate interest in Adrian and had returned to sit on the sofa. John and I asked her about school, which according to her she did attend, but not regularly. I asked her if she found the work difficult or had problems with friends, but she said, ‘No, not really.’ So John and I assumed her non-attendance was more due to a lack of routine and parental guidance than school itself. From what Dawn said she appeared to have been shunted back and forth between her mum’s flat and her dad and his girlfriend’s, with neither parent actually taking charge of her or assuming responsibility. It seemed that she had fallen between the two of them and had just been left to get on with it, with both parents being too busy with their own lives and relationships to give Dawn the time and attention she needed.
    I told Dawn that I would take her to school the following day in the car, and after that she could go on the bus as she had been doing, if she wanted to. The secondary school she went to, St James’s, was only a fifteen-minute bus journey away on the edge of the town. But I wanted to make myself known at the school and find out what I needed to do to help Dawn. I had done the same at Jack’s school with very positive results. Dawn accepted my suggestion quite affably, as indeed she accepted all our suggestions, including her bedtime, arrangements for seeing her friends (at their house or ours, not on the street), and that homework took priority over television. She appeared to be a good-humoured and sensible girl, who was immediately likeable and clearly wanted to get along with us and fit into our routine.
    As 8.30 p.m. approached, the time we had said was a reasonable one for her to get ready for bed, Dawn stood, without being asked, and said, ‘I’ll say goodnight now, then.’
    I was pleasantly surprised, as was John. Jack had needed reminders all the time he had been with us – to switch off his music or television, or stop whatever he was doing and get ready for bed.
    ‘I’m sure you two would like some time alone now,’ Dawn added, and I guessed that had probably come from staying with her dad and his girlfriend.
    ‘OK, love,’ I said, also standing. ‘I’ll come up and show you where everything is.’
    ‘Thanks, Cathy. Goodnight, John. Can I give you a kiss?’
    John looked momentarily surprised but quickly recovered. ‘Yes, of course.’ Dawn went over and kissed John on top of the head. ‘’Night,’ he said.
    I lay Adrian in John’s arms – they always spent time together in the evening once we had eaten – and went with Dawn into the hall. I picked up her one piece of luggage, a zip-up weekend holdall, and then led the way upstairs and to the second bedroom. I had given the room a good clean after Jack’s departure and it had stood empty since.
    ‘This is lovely,’ Dawn said looking round her bedroom.
    ‘I’m glad you like it. You’ll feel more at home when you have your things around you.’ John and I had kept the colours in the room neutral when we had decorated so that it would suit a boy or a girl. Adrian was still sleeping in his cot in our bedroom, but the third bedroom was ready for him as soon we felt he was old enough.
    I placed Dawn’s bag on the bed and unzipped it. ‘You can hang your clothes in the wardrobe,’ I said. ‘And there are shelves for your books and CDs.’
    It didn’t take long to unpack and Dawn didn’t need the wardrobe or shelving. The holdall contained a pair of jeans, a jumper, three pairs of pants, a pair of pyjamas and a wash bag.
    ‘What have you been wearing since you came into care?’ I asked, looking in horror at her few clothes.
    ‘This,’ she said, referring to what she wore.
    ‘And where’s your school uniform?’
    ‘I’ve got a skirt at