Meet Jacob and Aled

Jacob and Aled are brothers. Jacob is 4 years old and Aled is 2. Both boys have light hair, big blue eyes and huge smiles that light up the room. Their foster carers describe them as happy, loving little boys with plenty of character.

Likes

Jacob loves running and playing outdoors, particularly at the local park. He enjoys reading books and chatting with adults and children. Jacob is really fascinated by birds and likes to watch them wherever he is. Like Jacob, Aled also enjoys playing outside and interacting with others. Both boys love animals and story time – particularly stories about animals!

Health and Development

When Jacob was initially placed within his current foster placement he was identified as having developmental delay, which is likely caused by the parenting he received whilst in the care of his birth parents. However, Jacob has made positive progress – his vocabulary, speech and independence skills have improved.

Jacob appears to be thriving in foster care due to the stability and consistent care that he has received. He will require permanency with carers who understands child development, can accept a degree of uncertainty in regards to his development delay and have an understanding of the effects of trauma and neglect. Jacob should continue to thrive if he receives unconditional love, nurture and age-appropriate stimulation.

A detailed discussion of Jacob’s health and social history would take place with any prospective adopters who would be able to meet with Jacob’s Child Care Social Worker and the Adoption Medical Advisor.

Aled seems to be on track in terms of development, but he did acquire a skull fracture at the age of 9 months and some bruising to his face and abdomen whilst in the care of his birth parents. Positively, there was no reported loss of consciousness and there was no intracranial bleeding as a result of the head injury. Aled has made a full recovery and there have been no post injury complications. It is unlikely therefore that he would have any complications related to this injury.

As with Jacob, Aled has made significant progress since being in foster care and is meeting all of developmental milestones. Aled’s vocabulary, speech, confidence and independence skills have positively improved and it is exciting to observe Aled continuing to grow into a healthy and content child.

Education

Jacob attends a local Welsh pre-school which he thoroughly enjoys. With Jacob’s regular attendance and the high level of stimulation he receives within his foster placement, he is doing very well. During Social Worker home visits, it is exciting to see the progress Jacob is making each time.

Following in his brother’s footsteps, Aled also attends a Welsh pre-school. He is also receiving high levels of stimulation within his foster placement and is making positive progress within his development. Aled thoroughly enjoys attending pre-school and will often talk about his friends and achievements.

It is anticipated that both boys will continue to make progress in a safe, stable and nurturing home.

Behaviour and Attachment

Jacob is developing positively, as a result of the consistency of care, love, nurture and good stimulation he has received since being placed with his foster carers at 2 years and 9 months old. Jacob responds well to the routine which has been established, as well as the boundaries and consequences that are in place; although as a result of Jacob’s early life experiences, namely neglect, lack of supervision and stimulation he requires more guidance, support and input from his foster carer. With this level of guidance and structure Jacob’s behaviour and trust in adults is improving and will continue to do so, with attentive and nurturing parenting.

Aled has been afforded with a nurturing, caring and stable foster placement, with him positively responding to the routine which has been established, as well as the boundaries and consequences that are in place.

Jacob and Aled share an exceptionally close sibling relationship, although despite Aled being the youngest, Jacob does look to him for guidance. There are moments of sibling rivalry, although this is as expected and mainly as a result of Jacob and Aled wanting the toy that the other is playing with.

Needs

There has been mention of maternal alcohol misuse in the boys’ past. The effects of alcohol on the developing foetus are well known and prospective adopters should be aware of foetal alcohol effects. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Jacob and Aled are suffering any foetal alcohol effects at this stage.

Causes of developmental delay are multi-factorial and it is not possible to assess how much is due to a lack of stimulation whilst Jacob was in the care of his birth parents and how much may be due to genetic and hereditary issues. For this reason, Jacob’s progress will need to be monitored for the next few years until his developmental trajectory is clear.

Contact:  Annual indirect with birth mother, father and siblings. No photographs