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Carers are driven out
• THERE is a desperate shortage of foster carers in Islington and it is commendable that every effort is made to recruit more (Men urged to become foster carers, October 26).
In the present climate, however, a note of caution needs to be introduced. In 2005 I contributed to a research information exercise commissioned by a government body charged with looking into why there were so few male teachers wishing to work in primary schools and day nurseries. The message from published research was that the fear of being falsely accused of abuse was a major factor in deterring males from taking on the role of looking after young children.
Islington Council, like many other councils, treats unproven allegations of abuse as having happened so, in effect, foster carers are presumed guilty until they can prove their innocence. Over a third of all foster carers experience an allegation of abuse. According to council figures for the past three years, more than 85 per cent are unproven yet many of those false allegations still end up destroying lives, livelihoods and families.
Many innocent people leave the fostering service after an allegation and invariably criticise social services for the way they were treated and the damage done to their earning power.
Islington has a poor record in looking after children and this would be much worse if concerned and caring people did not come forward to become foster carers and give vulnerable children a chance in life.
The Litten Tree Group campaigns to improve the outcomes of children in care but realises that, until the problem of false allegations is addressed, potential foster carers, particularly male, will be deterred from signing up, existing foster carers will move out of fostering, and vulnerable children in need of looking after will be left to take their turn in the queue as councils across the country desperately advertise for more foster carers to fill the current shortfall of almost 10,000.
Trevor Jones
The Litten Tree Group
Hanley Road, N4
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