The cliffhanger on chapter one of Jacqueline Wilson's The Dumping Ground "Feral Siblings" left Mike Milligan and May Li Wong to deal with more of the Bandell children's challenging behaviour during their first day in Ashdene Ridge, getting them bathed and finally ready into bed after a quiet story.

Chapter two is about Mike Milligan and May Li tackling the challenges a sizeable group of young children are posing; can they find out from the biological father, a retired Social Services team manager and former respite carers about the siblings background, recent trauma in the family or despite the children being young enough; is it too late for the Bandell children to be helped at 'The Dumping Ground'?


Mike Milligan and May Li were all about tackle the problem with all of the Bandell children aged between three to seven years old. Tia has an obsession with Peppa Pig which is a series about a cartoon pig family on Channel 5's Milkshake segment for pre school children shown in the mornings; however, the behaviour that is quoted seems to the two children's carers to be abnormal toddler stuff. Sticking out tongue when angry, screaming 'I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE', stamping feet and swearing with quite a mouthful whenever little Tia Bandell felt like it etc (as per the profile on behaviour for four year old Tia Bandell, kept in a locked filing cabinet inside the office).

The Ashton Ridge residents including the Bandell children were all sat around the oak pine dining table in the kitchen for breakfast; the 3-7 year olds were playing up big time for Mike Milligan and May Li Wong when 7 year old Jason Bandell spoon feeds little Tia her Cheerios; she had her ginger red hair styled into pig tails, wearing blue denim dungerees, a sparkly purple Peppa Pig t-shirt and yellow tights with black belted shoes. It started with the daily battle of wills over using cutlery at 9:30 am breakfast while the others were

"Tia" Mike asked nicely "use the spoon please." pointing towards the cutlery. Tia was still flatly refusing to eat her cereal nicely like the other children; the instruction had to be phrased firmer in tone "Use your spoon." Tia initially dug her heels in but soon learns to follow the rules like all the other children do.

Robert is nearly 4. He is also very tall for his age so people tend to think he is older. He has development delay and is currently being assessed for autism. He has very little language. One of the main issues is he is a runner. When we are out he will be walking nicely one minute and then suddenly sprint off. He is so fast. Mike Milligan takes two other boys so I am often trying to chase Robert whilst not losing other younger kids.

Signed

May Li Wong

"Today in Morrison's he took off and would have been in the car park if it hadn't been for the security guard spotting him and stepping in front of the door." when Mike was speaking to his former Social Services colleague who had been in this role since 1988 seeing a dramatic shift in practice since the 2008 bankers recession.

"I am a retired team manager of a fostering & adoption team - was in the work for 30 years, and I worked for a LA county. I am appalled at what I am hearing on these cases about the way foster carers (who are like gold dust in my opinion) are ridden rough shod over by children's services. However I was out with some of my old team last week and they were telling me how standards of social work practice had plummeted due to the slashing of social work budgets, frozen posts etc etc."

"And just in case anyone wants to criticise me, I have seen carer's try and try with a child to the extent that marriages/partnerships break up, they experience mental health issues, and their own children are also suffering to an extent where the placement is no longer viable." Margaret was recalling the broken placements when the county had loads of difficult to place children during the 1980s and 1990s approximately twenty to thirty years ago, when she had been in the team since 1978 at just 20 years old as social work underwent some brand new radical shifts.

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"I'm a residential worker at Ashdene Ridge with a lot of experience working with children with similar behaviours and difficulties and love them to bits, but I go home at the end of a shift and recharge my batteries ready the next day to face the new challenges." said Mike Milligan who was talking with his ex boss Margaret Spooner who knew how Mike Milligan should handle the Bandell children's case with her old school, traditional and no nonsense values on social work challenges.

"I personally think you need to give Social Services an ultimatum. If they are not prepared to provide you with meaningful help, then you will be depositing them on their doorstep. This needs to be done in writing and preferably from a legal standpoint - outlining all of the reasons why." flicking through incident reports from Ashdene Ridge shaking her head tutting at some of the horrendous things the Bandell children have done on their first day at this children's home in London.

"The LA has parental responsibility and they have just abnegated it. It makes me so mad to hear some of their excuses, for instance the team leader didn't have time to let any carers know their Child's Social Worker was on long term sick so we have had 3 months of emails going into a void. No one was allocated her work blah blah blah. They have parental responsibility and they are worse than the neglectful parents that let the children down in the first place. They are busy, we have heard that one for over a year and it is their excuse to do nothing, ever." ranted Mike Milligan who had been stressed by dealing with some poor local authorities in his time as a residential worker with several children's homes under his belt including Stowey House.


Mike Milligan had spoken to a retired Social Services team manager on advice about the Bandell children who is also his old boss from back in the day named Margaret Spooner. How will the former respite carers react to a statement signed by May Li Wong on 4 year old Robert Bandell?