Ms Clare Corridon:

My husband and I had around 24 hours' notice that we were going to be taking home a two-week-old infant. We had absolutely nothing and did not have a clue what we needed to get, so there was a mad shopping frenzy. I should also say that this happened in the middle of the Covid pandemic. I am sure members can imagine how difficult it was. Thankfully, we had the means to buy the items we required. If we were in that situation and did not have money in the bank to pay, it would have been difficult. No additional payment was provided to help us get set up. Anyone who has bought for a new baby will be aware how expensive it all is. I mentioned that the child in our care has medical needs. We have had to pay for surgery and a number of different medical expenses for him. It will take time to be compensated for that. It was more important to us that he got the surgery and the treatment. We had to go private in order to do that. It takes time. There are additional expenses, but we put the needs of the child first. We were in the position to meet these additional costs, but for other people it would be a huge financial strain.