Can I Let You Go?

Faye is 24, pregnant, and has learning difficulties as a result of her mother’s alcoholism. Faye is gentle, childlike and vulnerable, and normally lives with her grandparents, both of whom have mobility problems. Cathy and her children welcome Faye into their home and hearts. The care plan is for Faye to stay with Cathy until after the birth when she will return home and the baby will go for adoption. Given that Faye never goes out alone it is something of a mystery how she ever became pregnant and Faye says it’s a secret.

To begin with Faye won’t acknowledge she is pregnant or talk about the changes in her body as she worries it will upset her grandparents, but after her social worker assures her she can talk to Cathy she opens up. However, this leads to Faye realizing just how much she will lose and she changes her mind and says she wants to keep her baby. Is it possible Faye could learn enough to parent her child? Cathy believes it is, and Faye’s social worker is obliged to give Faye the chance.

About the Author

I live in England and have three children, two birth children and one adopted. When I left school I held a clerical position in the civil service, which I left to start a family. At the same time I became a foster carer, which is the inspiration for much of my writing. I have been a foster carer for over twenty-five years and am what's known as a specialist foster carer, sometimes referred to as a level 3 carer. This is in recognition of my experience and qualifications and means that I am often asked to look after children with complex needs or very challenging behaviour.

I have a degree in education and psychology which I was awarded as a mature student. I have always been a writer – from when I was at school, with poems in the school magazine. In my teens I began writing short stories, articles, a few radio plays, and entering writing competitions. Like many writers it was a hobby – something I did almost furtively in my spare time, while working, and then later fostering and looking after my family. The two halves of my life – writer and foster carer – came together in 2007 when I wrote about a child I'd fostered and the book immediately became a number one best seller.

Since then there have been many bestsellers, thanks to you. I really appreciate all your support and best wishes. Cathy