Foster check ‘failure’ of Wirral council rapped by report

Dec 11 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

BASIC checks were not carried out by Wirral Council before placing two young children with foster carers.

The authority has now apologised to all those involved and agreed to pay more than £10,000 in compensation.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Phil Davies, said the report by the Local Government Ombudsman “highlighted a number of shortcomings, which we fully accept”.

He said they are looking at the report “at the highest level”.

The report follows the placement of two children aged eight and 11 with the former partner of their mother, identified only as Mr Carlisle.

The Ombudsman report says from 2000 Social Services had received reports that the children were neglected while in the care of their mother, referred to in the report as MsŠWarwick.

In 2004 three children were put on the Child Protection Register under the category of neglect and physical injury.

Their elder half-sister Donna, MrŠCarlisle’s daughter, offered to care for them and MrŠCarlisle agreed to share some of the caring responsibilities, which continued until September 2005.

However, Mr Carlisle complained about the lack of help from Social Services, and they were not even visited for five weeks after being placed into Mr Carlisle’s care.

MrŠCarlisle says that when the children arrived he had to buy bunk beds and mattresses, bedding, clothes and furniture and the clothing they had brought with them had to be replaced as it was infested.

The Ombudsman said the council blamed staff shortages for the failure to investigate.

In the findings he states the council placed two vulnerable young children in the care of MrŠCarlisle and his daughter “without even the most basic checks on them, their home and their ability to look after young children”.

It added: “Fortunately MrŠCarlisle and his daughter have proved to be appropriate carers who have apparently done an excellent job in looking after the children who have come to no harm. This is no thanks to the council.”

Following the release of the report, Cllr Davies said: “We are taking this report extremely seriously. We have already begun to put in place measures to address these shortcomings.

“The report also acknowledges that the council has agreed to pay Mr Carlisle and his daughter £10,350, for the period of time the children lived in his care.”

liammurphy