Foster carer given pay-out over attack failings

The council said it has accepted the findings and apologised
- Published
A foster carer has received £750 in compensation and a council apology for "distress" caused by failings that saw her "attacked" by the young person she was caring for.
The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) investigated a complaint made by a former foster carer, referred to as Mrs Y, about a lack of support and information from Northumberland County Council during the processes around fostering, special guardianship and adoption.
Mrs Y was "attacked" by a young person in her care, referred to as Child E, which lead to a breakdown of the placement, the LGO said.
Northumberland County Council said the authority had apologised and accepted the findings.
Three council failures
Mrs Y and her husband were foster carers for five years between 2018 and 2023 and supported three young people, the LGO said.
Child E's placement had to end after they reportedly "attacked" Mrs Y, but was replaced by another turbulent placement of a child knowns as Child F which led Mrs Y to leaving foster caring altogether, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Child F is reported to have repeatedly run away from the home, expressed verbal insults to Mrs Y, and allegedly used drugs and shoplifted.
Mrs Y and her husband were accused of physical assault by child F, although these allegations were denied.
The Ombudsman inspector found fault with three areas of the council's actions including a failure to support Mrs Y at two key moments in two of the placements and to act with urgency when a child concern notification was received.
'Uncertainty created'
There was also a failure to review another young person's care plan and ensure appropriate safeguards were in place.
The council admitted it should have sought a respite placement for Child F, involving the young person going to another home on a short-term basis, to attempt "reconciliation".
The council also accepted it did not detail alleged verbal insults and physical assault against Child F in a formal letter, nor did it offer the child independent support.
In addition, it did not provide a summary of how allegations were followed up and resolved, or of any actions taken.
The council noted Mrs Y received support from the social worker but did not have support from the fostering service as expected.
The ombudsman said the issues caused Mrs Y "some injustice" and there was a "failure" in not offering her independent support.
It said the council "could have been more proactive in assessing the emerging risks for all the young people involved" and that a lack of risk assessments created "uncertainty".
Responding to the report, a Northumberland County Council spokesperson said: "We accept the findings in the report and can confirm that the recommendations are being actioned and we have apologised to Mrs Y.
"We aim to provide the highest quality services to all our foster carers and young people in Northumberland and where lessons can be learnt we will always take action to improve."
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