Mummy’s Little Helper

The fifth book from bestselling author and specialist foster carer Casey Watson.A recent census shows that there are at least 175,000 child carers in the UK, 13,000 of whom care for more than 50 hours a week. Many remain invisible to a system that would otherwise help them. Abigail is one of those children. This is her story.Ten-year-old Abigail’s mother Sarah has been rushed into hospital. Sarah has multiple sclerosis (MS) and has had a terrible fall. MS is a crippling disease, and progressively debilitating, and Sarah is now in a very bad way. Abigail has never known her father; she and her mother have coped alone since she was three. From being little more than a toddler Abigail has single-handedly cared for her, gradually learning to shop, cook and clean, and attend to her mother’s personal care. Suddenly this has all come to social services attention and Abigail has nowhere to go.Though not fitting the usual profile of a child for the Watsons (they are specialist foster carers) Casey and Mike are happy to step in and look after Abigail – it’s an emergency situation, after all. And all that’s needed is a loving, temporary home while social services look into how best to support the family so that mother and daughter can be reunited.But it soon becomes apparent that this isn’t going to happen. Tania’s MS is now at a very advanced stage, and the doctors are certain that there will no longer be periods of remission. Meanwhile Abigail’s emotional state starts to spiral out of control as she struggles to let go of the burdening responsibilities she’s had for so long. Sarah and Abigail insist that they do not need help, but with no other family to contact, social services are left with no choice but to find long-term care for Abigail … but Casey isn’t one to give up, and she’s determined there must be another solution.Includes a sample chapter of Sunday Times bestseller Trafficked.