Apology after girl abused in care is 'too late'

Marie's last foster mother said the safeguarding board's apology was too little, too late

An apology for failures in the care and support for a girl who was sexually abused by her carer was "too little, too late," her foster mother said.

Marie, who was in the care of Warwickshire County Council, was abused from the age of nine to 15, with her male carer later being jailed for offences involving her and other children.

A report found chances were missed to identify grooming, while there were also failures in supporting Marie before her death shortly after her 19th birthday in 2023 from a drug-related incident.

Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Partnership said it was deeply sorry she was harmed but her foster mother said they'd had years to apologise to Marie but they never did.

The review had taken five years to be published and Marie, not her real name, had taken part in it.

"Obviously the person they needed to apologise to was Marie and they never did," her foster mother, who had been her most recent carer, said.

"They had years to apologise to Marie."

Marie and her younger sibling were placed with the foster carers in question in 2013.

The safeguarding review highlighted the foster carers were often "intimidating" towards professionals and were described as "strict, rigid in their thinking".

Marie's foster mother said Marie had been a prisoner and that her male carer had "kept her by his side 24/7".

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He would abuse her before she went to school, she added.

The report said concerns about the carers were accepted because of a wish to "ensure on-going stability for the children", and there were no concerns at the time that Marie could be being sexually abused.

However, "with hindsight", the report said the use of anger and aggression by the carers and a fear by professionals of how the carers would react "was both a powerful grooming technique and a way of ensuring that professionals did not challenge too forcefully".

Marie's foster mother described her as a keen artist, drawing this in the months before her death

Marie's behaviour and mental health, which included self-harm and overdoses, was a concern for those involved at the time, the review said.

Giving evidence to the safeguarding team in 2020, following the criminal trial, Marie questioned why she was not spoken to by professionals away from the male carer.

"He was always controlling the conversation just in case I disclosed anything to anyone about what he was doing to me," she said.

"He was always there, even in hospital beside my bed when I came round from my overdose. Why didn't anyone tell him to leave the room? I can't understand why nobody did that for me."

Marie also told the safeguarding panel that other warning signs were missed by teachers.

It emerged following the allegations that both Marie and her sibling often spent time separately sleeping at the workplace of their male carer during his nightshifts.

Feeling isolated

She added that she was "always falling asleep in class" as a result.

Teachers, however, said they were unaware that visits to the man's workplace were happening at night, which might have concerned them.

In other evidence to the panel, Marie said the male carer had removed her mobile phone, leading to her feel isolated, particularly coming at the time of the pandemic.

The safeguarding board said it regretted more was not done to ensure Marie's wellbeing and to "demonstrate the care and support she deserved"

Although restrictions on the use of her phone were challenged by social workers at the time, the review said it was not thought to reflect anything beyond the carer's style of parenting.

'Prescribed contraception'

There were other signs. Marie was taken to see a GP five times between 2018 and 2019 with abdominal pain, urinary tract infections and vaginitis, a condition the review said could be caused a number of issues, but also could be "exacerbated by sexual abuse".

The report said she was prescribed the contraceptive pill, "seemingly at the request of the carer" and there was "no rationale recorded for this prescription".

The abuse eventually came to light in 2020, when an adult who used to be fostered by the same family reported they had seen her being sexually abused by the male carer, with Marie herself later disclosing long-term abuse.

The review found that Marie had had numerous changes of professionals in the two years before the abuse was disclosed.

She shared her frustration, the report said, adding that she had told the review: "How can I express myself when I don't know my social worker and there's no relationship or trust?"

Following the court case, however, Marie continued to be failed.

The report said as "a child who felt, rightly, that she had been let down by the local authority", she was also upset, as was her new foster mother, that she did not have a consistent social worker following the abuse "and that there was often little response to communication and requests for advice or support".

As she turned 18, Marie seemed to be in a more stable position. She had a job, a boyfriend of a similar age who had a supportive family and had positive support from her foster mother.

However Marie's drug use that was believed to have started in school worsened.

When she turned 18, Marie received a large compensation payout and in the seven months before her death she spent over £100,000.

Two weeks before she died, Marie took an intentional overdose of paracetamol, ibuprofen and cocaine, the report said.

She was assessed by a mental health team, but no evidence of acute mental illness was identified and Marie said she did not require intervention.

However, the safeguarding review said the assessment did not take into account her experience as a care leaver.

Compensation 'a curse'

Marie's foster mother had contacted a care team following a seizure in September 2023 and shared her concern about her daughter's drug use.

She said that Marie had told a family member that she was spending £500 a time on cocaine, and that she had used cocaine again immediately following her discharge from hospital. Marie was spoken to but refused a referral to drug services and downplayed the issue, the report said.

Marie's foster mother described the compensation payment as a "curse" and said despite the payout, the 19-year-old had "not felt compensated", reflecting a lack of support since the criminal case.

Marie was described as "bubbly", "kind" and "courageous" and someone who loved music and dancing.

"Marie was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside," her foster mother said.

"She engaged in life. She was an inspiration."

Matt Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, said Marie showed "immense bravery" and there were "clear failings" that ultimately led to her early death.

A Safeguarding Children Partnership spokesperson said the review had identified important learning and acknowledged delays and communication issues had added to the distress experienced by Marie and those around her.

"Our shared goal is to ensure that the lessons from Marie's story lead to meaningful change and a safer, more responsive system for all children and young people."

The review added recommendations on how services should ensure ongoing support for care leavers beyond their 18th birthday.

Other recommendations include:

• Implementing a policy in cases where a person in a position of trust was convicted of abusing a child

• Children's service's staff should be equipped with training to provide support to those who had received financial gain

• Relevant government departments should review legislation around care leavers receiving large compensation packages.