At the early stages of Ged and Stella’s lives, we had many difficulties to find suitable caregivers. We used to get an agency to find a carer. The agency did all the organizing and then the carer came into our house. We had many people working for us, but we could not find people that were committed enough and that could build a lasting relationship with both, our children, and us. Many of them came along, did their job, and that was it. Sometimes they would be late, they wouldn’t come, or even call to let us know of a change of plans. We were very frustrated and stressed.

After a while, we got the option of choosing to get Individualized Funding, which meant that we could have our own carer but we had to organize it ourselves. It still came through the government, but it gave us more flexibility. We were able to pay more to the right person and choose a good carer like Lucila. Having that option made a huge difference to us.

I used to talk to my neighbor William when I saw him outside his home. He used to work as a tradesman in Colombia and he was looking for work so he was interested in what I did as a builder. One day I saw his wife, Lucila, and I thought, ‘She must be a fantastic woman. She has raised three girls; she has got to know about kids. I must go over and meet her’. Then, I knocked on their door and said ‘Would Lucila like a job caring for kids? That’s how it started.