After they were lost

When my Mum died and the person she was living with had left, our family was put in the care of social services.

They in their wisdom decided that the 4 of us had to split up. Myself and Paul were sent to life with my Aunt Colleen in Somerset. Ian and Lorna were put somewhere else and I have never seen them since.

My Aunt lovely though she was already had 2 children, with the addition of Paul and myself it became a wee bit much for her. We were then taken back into care and put into a residential care home in a wee village called Crossgates, Fife.

I have since discovered all that upheaval had nothing to do with my Aunt and Uncle but a botch made by the then Fife Social Services. The social worker who was dealing with our case had sent us all that way probably some 450ml's without the knowledge of Somerset Social services. When they found out the situation, to say they were not happy might be an understatement.

What they said makes perfect sense now but back then all it meant to us was more heart break. My Mum had died and left us and now here was the only other family we had throwing us out.

As a child all I felt was rejected and unwanted. Paul was luckily to young to realise half of what was going on thankfully.

To make these matters worse, we were taken by train to Edinburgh and left at the station with a social worker I had never met before and taken to the care home that would be our new home for at least the near future.