Keeping children safe: abuse and neglect of children in care

1. Keeping children safe:abuse and neglect of children in care Nina Biehal and Jim Wade Department of Social Policy and Social Work University of York England

2. What do we know about abuse in care? • Many investigations into historic abuse in residential care in the UK • Today, there is concern about peer abuse in residential care and sexual exploitation by adults external to the placement • No recent research on abuse by staff • Few UK studies of abuse in foster care • Have mainly focused on foster carers’ experience of allegations of abuse • Just a few qualitative studies have considered children’s experiences (as part of a wider study) • But we know very little about the extent and nature of abuse and neglect of children in care today

3. Aims of the study To investigate • The incidence of allegations of abuse or neglect by foster carers and residential staff in the UK • The proportion of allegations substantiated • The nature of abuse or neglect in foster and residential care

4. Methods Phase 1 Survey of all 211 UK local authorities (LAs) • Freedom of Information request for data for 3 years on • All allegations made (foster and residential care) • All allegations substantiated • 74% response rate (n=156 LAs) Phase 2 Follow-up survey: 111 substantiated cases • Online questionnaires to fostering and residential managers in 24 LAs • Detailed data on 87 cases in foster care and 24 cases in residential care • These 111 cases involved 146 children

5. Abuse and neglect in foster care • Data from 156 LAs for 3 years • refers only to recorded allegations of abuse or neglect in care • 2,000-2,500 allegations per year across UK • 3-4 allegations per 100 fostered children per year • Only 22-23% of allegations against foster carers are substantiated • Children removed from placement in 56-63% of substantiatedcases

6. Incidence of abuse/neglect in foster care Extrapolating from this evidence we estimate: • 450-550 substantiated cases of abuse/neglect by foster carers across the UK each year • < 1 substantiated case per 100 children in foster care in UK each year (0.8 - 0.88% of children) • A tiny percentage of fostered children – but still too many

7. What about the unsubstantiated allegations? Additional data provided by 85 of the LAs • 30% of allegations considered to be unfounded • 43% unsubstantiated due to lack of evidence • Children removed from placement in 13-16% of unsubstantiated cases • How do professionals manage risk in these cases? • Leave child in a potentially abusive placement? • Remove child settled in a non-abusive placement?

8. Abuse and neglect in residential care • 19% children in care are in residential homes in UK • 64,000 in foster care, 12,000 in residential care • excludes youth justice settings (not part of child welfare system) • Half as many allegations as in foster care • 1,100 – 1,400 allegations per year across UK • But much higher rate of allegations than for foster care • 9.6 -12 allegations per 100 children in residential placements per year* • Only 3 - 4 allegations per 100 children in foster care • Substantiation rate similar to foster care • 21-23% of allegations substantiated *LAs with no children’s homes in their area or no allegations were excluded from these calculations

9. Incidence of abuse/neglect in residential care Extrapolating from this evidence to whole of UK • 250-300 confirmed cases of abuse/neglect by residential staff across the UK each year • 2 – 2.5 substantiated cases per 100 children • Higher proportion than in foster care (< 1per 100) • But substantiation rate the same for both settings (around 22%) • < 20% of children removed from placement in substantiated cases • Lower rate than foster care (around 60% removed) • Some evidence that staff are moved instead

10. Local variation • Found large variations in rates of allegations and substantiated abuse/neglect between • local authorities • England, Scotland and Wales* • This variation partly due to differences in ways data are recorded and reported • May also be due to real differences in • Supervision and support to foster carers and residential workers • Monitoring of the quality of care provided • Local thresholds for defining and recording poor care as abusive or neglectful *Only one 1 of the 5 local agencies in Northern Ireland responded

11. Nature of the maltreatment in foster care Data on 87 substantiated cases (118 children) • 37% physical abuse, 30% emotional abuse, 17% neglect and 11% sexual abuse • Ranged from one-off, relatively minor incidents of physical abuse to serious and persistent physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect • Sexual abuse often discovered only after child left placement • Sometimes a pattern of minor concerns or repeated allegations before the abuse/neglect was recognised • But many foster carers not found to abuse children also have allegations made against them

12. The foster placements and carers • Could occur in all types of foster placement • Kinship care and non-relative care • Long-term and short-term placements • Children in placement > 1 year in ¾ of cases • The foster carers • Some overstretched or stressed for personal reasons • Others struggling to cope with challenging behaviour • Some should never have been approved to foster • a small number were responsible for serious and persistent abuse or neglect

13. Abuse by residential care staff Data on only 20 cases – need for caution • 6 cases of physical abuse • Staff responding inappropriately or with excessive force to challenging behaviour • 5 cases of excessive physical restraint • Rough handling while trying to defuse a conflict • One unit had a ‘culture of physical domination and physical compliance’ (was later closed) • 4 cases defined as ‘poor standards of care’ • E.g. bad language, grabbing child, supplying drugs

14. Conclusions • Many allegations made but only 1 in 5 substantiated • Vast majority of children experience safe care • Many foster carers and residential staff experience distress due to unfounded allegations • But questions remain.......... • We may underestimate the true extent of the problem • Over half of allegations in foster care could be neither proved nor disproved • True rate of abuse and neglect may be higher • Essential to listen to children • Must take allegations seriously, even if many prove to be unfounded

15. Some questions..... • Local variation - what does it mean? • Differences in definition, recognition and recording? • Or real differences in the quality of care between LAs and national systems ? Or both? • Dilemmas when the evidence is unclear • Remove child at once or preserve the placement? • Either may carry risks for the child • Preventing maltreatment • How do we ensure effective assessment, supervision and support for foster carers and residential staff? • Listening to children • How do we ensure children have a trusted adult they can talk to, including those in long-term and kinship placements?

16. Publications Biehal, N., Cusworth, L. & Wade, J. with Clarke, S. (2014)  Keeping children safe:  allegations concerning the abuse or neglect of children in care, London: NSPCC. http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/findings/evaluation/2014-abuse-in-care-research_wda103274.html Biehal, N. (2014) ‘Maltreatment in foster care: a review of the evidence,’ Child Abuse Review. 23, 1, pp.48-60. Biehal, N. and Parry, E. (2010) Maltreatment and Allegations of Maltreatment in Foster Care. A Review of the Evidence. University of York.