Alfie, 6: I’ve found my forever family
NATIONAL ADOPTION WEEK: REAL HEART-WARMING TALE
Alfie is waiting on the doorstep with his mum, beaming and waving as I arrive at their home.
Dad Phil is out at work, his big brother Lee, 13, is at school and Charlie the dog is snoozing in the kitchen.
Before I’ve even crossed the threshold six-year-old Alfie grabs my hand and drags me upstairs to his colourful, toy-packed bedroom.
“Sit on my bed,” he says, shifting his blue fluffy rabbit and patting the superheroes duvet cover, before fetching his trains, fire engines and police cars.
Then mum Tracey joins us – just as a huge box of railway track is upended on to the floor. They both laugh as he pulls her in for a massive hug. This is adorable Alfie’s world now – a happy home filled with love, two devoted parents and a big brother who calls him Little Pickle.
He has found his “forever family” and it’s all thanks to a Daily Mirror drive to help thousands of youngsters like him waiting for adoption. A year ago he featured in our National Adoption Week campaign, run with the national information service First4Adoption.
Alfie was taken into foster care as a small child because his birth parents couldn’t care for him. But he has autism and his special needs had made it hard to find him a permanent family.
Tracey, 47, and her ex-Army husband Phil, 50, had adopted their autistic child, Lee, at a similar age eight years earlier. So their hearts went out to Alfie who looks uncannily like their older son.
Tracey says: “I’m always trying to encourage new adopters to come forward, so when I saw Alfie in the Mirror I shared his story on social media, without even thinking about me and Phil.
“But then a friend watched the Mirror online video of Alfie playing and said ‘Erm, hang on a sec... isn’t he a great fit for your family?’ And, of course, the moment she said it we realised he was.”
Nine months later, in September, Alfie became their son. Seeing him at his new home in the south of England, it was clear he’s found the perfect family.
When the Mirror first met Alfie at his foster carer’s last year, he was barely speaking, had problems with co-ordination and was having regular meltdowns and night terrors. But foster carer Amanda told us at the time: “He is so loving and caring. He could bring so much joy to the right family.”
Phil and Tracey had experienced similar joy through adopting Lee in 2008.
Tracey, who works in a school for children with severe learning needs, says: “Lee has very complex needs too, so we thought we might foster other children, rather than adopt again.
“But Lee kept saying he really wanted a brother so I promised him we’d look into it. And then we saw Alfie – so I rang up First4Adoption and put our details forward. It all happened really quickly.”
“The social workers visited us in December, the adoption assessment started in March and we first met Alfie in May. We went into his school first and then to visit him at Amanda’s home.
“Then Phil, Lee and I began taking Alfie out for the day, to get the boys used to each other. Lee just thought he was a family friend but they really got on.
“So we got Alfie’s room all ready and he began staying over. By then Lee was saying he was really cute and calling him his Little Pickle.
“I think he sensed this might be his new brother but he didn’t voice it.”
Once Phil and Tracey were approved as adopters, Alfie was finally told that he had a new mum and dad.
Tracey says: “It is done very simply with a Life Journey. Before he moved in Alfie was told ‘this is where you started, this is where you’ve been and this is your
Be realistic about what you can give but don’t be frightened of the unknown TRACEY GIVES HER ADVICE TO POTENTIAL ADOPTERS
forever family. Alfie had always called us ‘Lee’s Mummy’ and ‘Lee’s Daddy’ and we just carried on with that.
“He still says it occasionally but as we now call ourselves just Mummy and Daddy, Alfie does, too.”
Alfie is also thriving at his new school. Tracey, on adoption leave to help him settle, says: “He still pushes boundaries when he feels slightly unsafe.
“But he and Lee have worked out their relationship and I think they help each other. His speech has come on so much. His motor skills have really improved as we live in a three-storey house and he is running up and down stairs and playing and interacting all the time. It’s been intense but he’s wonderful. He’s come a long way in a year.”
Tracey hopes all the children featured in our 2017 adoption campaign this week will also find homes like Alfie did.
This year First4Adoption are highlighting the plight of siblings, as 61% of the children waiting to be adopted in England are brothers and sisters in
Adopting brings great rewards as these children give you SO much back TRACEY TALKING ABOUT BEING MUM TO ALFIE
groups of two or more. Tracey says: “My advice is ‘be realistic about what you can give but don’t be scared of the unknown’. Adopting brings great rewards as these children give you SO much back.
“They will love you and..,” she pauses, looking at Alfie playing, “how could you not love a beautiful boy like that?”
Alfie is now racing his fire engine and ambulances on the floor doing full “Neenaw, nee-naw” sound effects. But he’s getting peckish so Tracey offers him a Jammie Dodger biscuit. “What’s that?” he asks, pointing to the middle. “That’s a heart,” Tracey explains.
Alfie climbs on to her lap. “I love you”, says Mum. Alfie strokes her head and says “I love you” back.
We show him his photo from the Daily Mirror story 12 months ago. “That’s Alfie,” he says proudly, before dashing off to play again. Tracey will put the article in a memory box she is keeping for him.
His life has changed so dramatically he probably won’t remember being the boy without a mum and dad to hug.
Because, unlike thousands of other youngsters still waiting to be adopted, Alfie is happy and surrounded by love in the warm embrace of his forever family.