Lisa Mainwaring

Lovely evening soundtrack tonight: crying children, barking dogs, and fireworks that sound like incoming artillery. Nothing says “celebration” quite like mild panic and earplugs all round.

I’ve stopped getting the bus from Waterloo to the City and started walking instead. 40 mins each way. For health reasons. Specifically: a deeply committed relationship with ice cream.

Free school meals? Served.
Nurseries? More.
School libraries getting a big refill. 📚

But the therapy lifeline that helps adopted kids un-learn the chaos wired into their brains, still dangles off the funding cliff.

Secure the fund so every child can heal and play.
#SpendingReview #ASGSF

#SpendingReview in two acts:

Act 1 🎉: NHS power-up, shiny new buses, social homes unlocked & free school meals
Act 2 😬: Disability support quietly thrown in the bin

That’s like treating everyone to pizza, then yanking the chairs away. Let’s scrap the cuts so everyone gets a seat at the table.

We urgently need a cross-departmental impact assessment on the ASGSF cuts. Once policymakers see how costs shift directly to DWP and NHS CAMHS budgets, the false economy becomes clear. #ASGSF #AdoptionPoverty #JoinedUpThinking

a poster that says " get in good trouble " on it ALT: a poster that says " get in good trouble " on it

@lisamainwaring.bsky.social Might you share (again) :)

Good trouble for children formally looked after or in kinship families.

Sign the petition.
Join the March. May 3rd, 2025.

asgsfprotest.com?fbclid=IwY2x...

@civilsociety.bsky.social @cwva.bsky.social
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social @kattenbarge.bsky.social
@lewisgoodall.com @newfamilysocial.bsky.social @kaleighwatterson.bsky.social @shropshirestar.com @ukfundraising.bsky.social @financialtimes.com

We would appreciate your support in raising awareness❤️

My sons need therapy - Labour might be about to take it away Adopted children won’t magically stop needing therapy if their support disappears.

A truly insightful article about the threat to the ASGSF fund which will affect many thousands of #adoptive families from
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social

#ASGSF #AdoptionSupport #AdoptionMatters

metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...

I adopted my son at 3 - he couldn't bear to be touched Adopted children won’t magically stop needing therapy if their support disappears.

Please share this onwards, raising awareness of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (#ASGSF) is, and how crucial it is for our children and our whole families it continues - thanks so much to @lisamainwaring.bsky.social for getting this out there!
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...

One page graphic that shares details of support families can access via The Belay Foundation to support them in applying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits.

New 2025 dates for our free #PersonalIndependencePayment #PIP and #DisabilityLivingAllowance #DLA sessions now out!

Please see the flyer for details - I'll post links below too :)

Please share far and wide so we can reach as many families as possible. (Message us for a PDF of the flyer with links)

Mini stampede of deer in #BushyPark this morning, courtesy of one very enthusiastic, yappy dog, legs going like the clappers, owner nowhere to be seen. I can only assume his name was FENTON?! (Because, let’s be honest, history does have a way of repeating itself) #DogonTheLoose

Three down? Current problems and issues | Real-time Three problems and issues. Network down or no internet? We'll tell you what is going on.

Anyone else been ghosted by the Three mobile network today? My phone has basically turned into a very expensive clock. I haven’t been able to make or receive calls or texts all day. #threenetworkdown downdetector.co.uk/status/3/

Out two nights in a row-still life in the old girl yet! Tonight: a surprise birthday screening of ‘Stop Making Sense’. David Byrne? What a showman. Also, weirdly Cillian Murphy vibes in a few shots. Same hair, same intensity!

Description of curae project from renard press

Definition of unpaid carer

Curae prize - image of 2023 anthology

This is a thread about unpaid #carers and (I’ll be honest with you - I’m doing this with tears in my eyes) it’s in response to the broader questions that potential entrants to my #curae literary prize for writer-carers have dmd me with. I couldn’t walk by. Apologies for repetition and please share ❤️

Just took the Christmas tree down & now the room looks massive. Like we’ve gained an extension! Came back late last night from our trip t'up north & today I went full tornado mode: decorations down, tree undressed, house nearly decluttered. Satisfying but sad - goodbye Christmas, hello space!

Shoutout to McDonald’s for their magical #ReindeerReady app! 🎄🦌 The kids were in awe watching the reindeer eat the carrots they left out. It brought so much Christmas magic into our home. Brilliant use of tech to spark joy and imagination! #ChristmasMagic #FamilyMoments

Christmas isn’t complete without Some Like It Hot. Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, & just enough mischief to keep things merry and bright!

Word of the day (of course) is ‘scurryfunging’, from US dialect: the frantic attempt to tidy the house just before guests arrive.

This is a great infographic and will be helpful for all professionals and families too. It’s useful for all adults to reflect on also.

www.theottoolbox.com/emotional-re...

Average water bill in England and Wales to rise by 36% over five years Firms accused of forcing households to pay for years of underinvestment after Ofwat agrees to increases to help fix sector

Water bills are set to rise by over a third in the next five years, hitting the poorest families relying on inadequate Universal Credit hardest.

The government must set out plans for the review of Universal Credit it committed to in its manifesto urgently.

www.theguardian.com/money/2024/d...

The Dominique Pelicot case shows us a hard truth: these weren’t “monsters” - they were ordinary men.

Male violence isn’t rare or isolated; it grows from a culture that quietly devalues women.

Change starts with how we raise our sons, how we model respect, and what we refuse to tolerate.

Querying must be inclusive too How can agents and publishers make the querying process easier for writers with a disability?

Here is a piece I wrote recently www.thebookseller.com/comment/quer... & @the-bookseller.bsky.social kindly made it open access. I’m currently writing some short guides for mentors working on creative writing courses on #SEN & I’d like your help and would like to explain why that is. Read on!

True luxury is found in the simplest moments.

School email: Send baby photos to show how your child has grown!

Ah, yes - the classic ‘baby photos’ request. Unfortunately, our adopted son’s origin story starts a wee later.

Might just send a photo of him holding a sign that says: “I arrived fully assembled.”

#NotAllBeginningsComeInBabyPics

That came up in a quiz question tonight!

In no particular order, Falklands War, Zeebrugge Ferry disaster, Chernobyl, Challenger, John Lennon assassination & Elvis leaving the building for good. Not forgetting the Cold War & the never ending stream of IRA bomb threats (just in case life couldn’t get any more dramatic!)

Why is it always mums who get the school calls when things go sideways? Tried to enjoy a rare office social today - two calls! Meanwhile, my husband’s at home, and I’m acting as his secretary. Does he have an invisibility cloak, or just a really impressive "Do Not Disturb" sign?

DLA might be a non-means-tested benefit, but my means of staying sane during the application? Very much tested! @thebelayfoundation.bsky.social helped me wrestle with the mammoth of a form - without them, I’d have been buried under paperwork, waving a white flag made of crumpled evidence sheets.

You’re welcome!