At 8.45am today I was sitting with the phone ringing through the list of day services and respite from the social services. We were desperate for some help. Got to number three (No. 1 only took referrals through the county council and No. 2 sounded very dubious and said to ring back in a couple of hours when a manager might be there). The phone rang. It was Vicki, LB’s teacher. “We’re coming over to see you right now, me, Tina and Sue. We can have a chat and then Tina and Sue will take LB travel training.” Eh? Wha???

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in the kitchen, giving Chunky Stan fuss and organising a new school timetable for LB that didn’t involve him going into school at all (but them going out of their way to collect him and drop him off). Their focus was LB, and our family.

Sue and Tina went off with LB to catch the bus to town. Vicki turned to us saying it had all been a bit last minute; she’d told me on the phone they were going to come over before she’d checked with the head teacher if it was ok to leave school. They felt they just had to do it.

This is what support looks like.

And thank you beautiful ladies.