Sunday, 19 May 2013
Child Abuse In Care: A Case Study
In
April 2010, a looked after child was
threatened with physical abuse by a male foster carer. The foster carer, Mr
Ivor Patton of Goole, threatened the 12-year-old girl whom was in his care. The
foster carers, Mr Patton and Mrs Jackie Patton were on an outing to The Range
with the 2 looked after children, when a disagreement occurred between the two
sisters, whom were entrusted to the care of Mr & Mrs Patton, by Selby
Children’s Social Care.
It
is alleged that Mr Patton was driving, and stopped the car when the
disagreement broke out between the girls, whom were travelling in the rear of
the car. It is then alleged Mr Patton instructed the eldest of the girls, aged
15 years to sit in the front passenger seat and he instructed Mrs Patton to
take over as driver of the vehicle. It is then alleged Mr Patton sat in the
rear of the car with the other child, and told the 12year-old girl that if her
foot touched his he would ‘Shove His Foot Right Up Her Backside’. It is also
alleged that Mrs Patton told the 12-year-old girl that if she was unhappy then
she should pack her bags and leave their home.
The
12-year-old was so distressed she immediately sent her Mother a text message
via mobile phone stating ‘I’m coming home’. The Mother was out having lunch
with her 16-year-old daughter and a family friend at the time the incident
occurred. The 16-year-old was so concerned about her younger sister’s welfare
she rang her mobile phone to ask how she was. The 12-year-old was very
frightened and stated she couldn’t say very much as she was travelling in the
car with foster carers. The foster carers could clearly be heard making
comments about the 16 year to the 12-year-old, which was witnessed by the Mother
and the family friend.
Once
back at the foster carers home the 12-year-old went downstairs during a call
with her 16-year-old sister. The phone was placed in the 12 year olds pocket,
on loud speak so as to enable the 16-year-old to witness Mr Patton’s attitude
toward the 12-year-old. Mr Patton verbally stated ‘Don’t come down here and
says what she has told you to say or I will smash your phone up in front of
your face’. Mr Patton actively encouraged the 15-year-old sister whom is also
in their care, to engage in verbally bullying her younger sibling.
The
12-year-old had been texting her Mother throughout the day, and sent her
another text message asking for a taxi to enable her to go home to return to
the care of her Mother. Her Mother rang her and said she was unable to do so as
the child is subject to a S.31 Care Order, and that she would contact the
social worker to inform her about the concerns.
Later
that evening the 12-year-old ran away from the foster carers, and turned up at
her Mothers home, seeking safety and shelter from the abuse she had been
subjected to from the foster carers. The Mother contacted North Yorkshire
Social Services Emergency Duty Team that evening to inform them her daughter
was safe in her care. However the Manager of the Emergency Duty Team, Mr Geoff
Loveday, informed the Mother that Mr Patton had informed the Emergency Duty
Team that there had only been a minor incident, as he had been in bed all day
due to him being ill, and that the 12-year-old girl had been merely pestering
him for various reasons. The Mother relayed what information she knew to be
fact from that day and agreed that a Social Worker from the Emergency Duty Team
could visit her home to carry out a ‘Welfare Check’ on her daughter. During the
welfare check the social worker asked the 12-year-old to return to the foster
carers home, despite the child verbally stating she had been subjected to
threats of physical violence and psychological and emotional abuse from the
foster carers.
The
12-year-old refused to return to the foster carers, a nd was left to remain in
the safe care of her Mother by the Emergency Duty Team. The Mother contacted
the Service Manager the following morning to inform The Local Authority that
her daughter was in her care and, the reason for this.
However
the Local Authority did not request to see the 12-year-old, who is subject to a
S.31 Full Care Order, and her Mother until Thursday afternoon, and actually
permitted Mother and daughter to remain together. The 12-year-old is now
legally in the care of her Mother under Placement With Parent Regulations,
Statutory Instrument 1991 No 893; Placement Of Children With Parents etc
Regulations 1991[1].
Mr
Patton clearly misled the Emergency Duty team as his threats toward, and abuse
of, the 12-year-old had been witnessed when the child was speaking to her
family via mobile phone during the day. It was also evident that the child was
out in the car with the foster carers earlier that day. The noise of the car
travelling could be heard in the background during the telephone calls, so Mr
Patton is knowingly misinforming the Local Authority of the events of the
Tuesday.
The
12-year-old girl articulately describes Mr Patton as behaving in the manner of
a critical tyrant toward her throughout the time she has been in the care of Mr
& Mrs Patton. Mr Patton’s Facebook photographs show him with premium lager
and other alcoholic beverages in his hand in every picture. Many of the
photographs clearly depict that Mr Patton is under the influence of alcohol, which
is evident in his eyes.
One
picture even has him and his companions dressed in what can only be described
as lewd sexual underwear, during what appears to be a party at their home.
Another picture shows Mr Patton and Mrs Patton in a very passionate embrace.
Such behaviour is not appropriate in the company of looked after children.
Neither
Mr Patton nor Mrs Patton work and it is clear they are funding financial
security and a comfortable lifestyle from the generous tax-free allowances they
are paid by being foster carers. The problem with this system is that foster
carers are not employed by Local Authorities nor fostering agencies, and as
such are not held accountable for their behaviours and breakdown of children’s
placements. Many foster carers have a long history of children’s placements
with them breaking down within months of the child being placed with them, yet
this information is not collated and used to assess if foster carers are
suitable to care for children. Foster carers are frequently provided with child
after child, after child, after child, regardless of how many children’s
placements with them have broken down, purely because Local Authorities have a
drastic shortage of foster placements.
The
Service Manger of the Selby Children’s Care, Looked After Team, Central
Cluster, Ms Tracy Whitfield only took details of the incident from the Mother
over the telephone on the Wednesday morning, and the child’s Social Worker, Ms
Stephanie Goodman did not even mention the incident when the 12 year old and
her Mother visited the Social Worker office on the Thursday afternoon.
Therefore there has been no official investigation by NYCC nor by North
Yorkshire Police of the foster carers threatening and abusive behaviour toward
the child.
This
is a common theme with regard to child abuse by foster carers. Foster carer
abuse is swept under the carpet by Local Authorities time and time again. Yet
if it was a parent whom was accused of such child abuse, there would be a full
scale investigation and the child would be removed from the parent’s care, and
the child would be placed in foster care whilst the Local Authority instigated
Care Proceedings via the Family Court to legally remove the child.
Local Authorities have a
Statutory Duty of Care to protect and safeguard a child from the possibility of
harm and yet have clearly failed in their Statutory Duty of Care as Corporate
Parent in this case[2].
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