Social Skirmishes: Rosie Warlock

Rosie Warlock, a senior practitioner in children’s social services, tells us what’s on her mind in her weekly column

● A large white sheet draped over the landscape. Trees and houses with snowy hats on and windows framed with ice. And the sun shining brightly.

Shame it wasn’t the weekend so we had to try to provide a skeleton service at work. Those who lived within walking distance – only a few – put on their boots, winter coats and woolly hats and trekked in. Those who live miles away in hard-to-reach places phoned in to say they could work from home. In fact, the snow was the ideal excuse to catch up on paperwork without being disturbed every five minutes at work, and to sneak out for a walk or play with the kids, whose schools had been shut of course, in the local park.

Then there were the in-betweeners, those lived too far away to walk but didn’t want to risk driving.

The lack of public transport convinced most not to try coming in but there were a few heroic types dressed up like Polar explorers who walked for hours, only to start off home in the early afternoon.

Those who were in the office reported that it was quiet. It appears that a few days off school, building snowmen and sliding around on old boards cheered up most kids and families. Adults’ services had a harder time.

Those who struggled in had the last laugh. I had a message on my return from a Mrs Nomun saying she and her children were freezing. So I phone: “Is Mrs Nomum there”. After a short conversation, with the person on the other end becoming more irritated, I discover the number was the local Iceland shop.

● E-mail your anecdotes to rosie.warlock@yahoo.co.uk