Four waifs on our doorstep

the long version

At eleven o' clock one night in 1997, four hungry, smelly, damaged young children arrive on foster carers Jan and Tony Ford's doorstep. Two social workers drop them off with nothing but the ragged clothes they are wearing and no information. The children are covered in bruises, two have black eyes, one has a broken arm and they are all scratching themselves. Starved, seriously neglected and abused in every way, four young siblings have been repeatedly overlooked by everyone who should have cared. The eldest scavenges for food by night and is exhausted from trying to protect his sisters, his baby brother and himself from serious parental neglect and the perilous attentions of frequent paedophile visitors. From the start, these four children challenge Jan and Tony to extremes. Despite all their experience over many years, they wonder if they have met their match. Yet, from that very first night, this couple's unbounded love and care and their unbelievable determination surmount all the obstacles that follow. The shocking truth about the children's home lives is beyond anything Jan and Tony have experienced, yet through their formidable efforts, their unshakeable belief in the children, and their (almost) unfailing sense of humour, they are able to turn around four young lives from tragedy to hope.