In other news . . .

Once I get my car I'm gonna hit it full force on the home visits. I have a family with 6 kids who've just moved to Tunbridge Wells at our insistence as their home in Ashford was unsafe. I found out Friday that the landlord is giving them the eviction notice they need to get housing assistance in T Wells, but I promised the family my help on Tuesday. I thought it was gonna be to get their stuff out of their house in Ashford, but since they have the eviction notice (I thought they weren't gonna get it without getting their stuff out) hopefully I'll be able to just see all the kids and maybe drop in to Children's Social Services in that town. I did a chronology of previous referrals on the family and I am not so sure we're not gonna end up in conference on them - - at the very least if CSS in T Wells takes them I want to make sure they have a good idea of the family history.

I have 23 open cases and am ready to close 3. Prepared the closure letter and safeguarding agreements for the families but then realized I can't MAIL the suckers, "oh yeah, sign it at your leisure and get back to us." I don't think so. Gonna hafta take the documentation to the families and get it signed. Then there are the other 20 kids to see, resee, whatever. I did a lot of paperwork last week but didn't manage to see many kids - - got a ride to see one family and walked to see another. Did do a lot of phone work, set up meetings, etc. - - but seeing kids is the heart of my job and I would have done 2-3 times as much of that as I did last week if I'd had my car.

Asked again about getting a home laptop - - I can't use this one. You have to use one of KCC's and get their software loaded, AND go to training on how to use it. It does not look promising for the near future. I would like to be able to do the paperwork faster; it didn't hurt me spending time working on ICS (our computer system) as I only got the training a week ago. I would like to get up to speed on my caseload though; I think our average last week was about 8 new referrals every day.

I asked if I could have gotten to Tunbridge Wells on the train and was told no. I think I could have gotten there on the bus, but it would have taken all day.

Good thing the English countryside is so pretty. I WILL take some pictures soon.