Abuse in residential and foster care

"The research by York University and the NSPCC is the first of its kind to uncover and analyse local authority records on abuse in foster and residential care."

"Academics tracked abuse allegations – and their outcomes – between 2009 and 2012. They found that on average there are between 450 and 550 cases of proven abuse every year in foster care and between 250 and 300 cases of confirmed abuse a year in residential care."

"In residential care the rate of substantiated abuse claims is significantly higher than for foster families, with an average of between two and three proven cases per 100 children. Steve McCabe, the shadow minister for Children and Families called the findings "shocking", saying that the conclusions of the report "suggests that the current level of supervision, scrutiny and inspection is woefully inadequate".

"It beggars belief that the Government can be planning to outsource even more children's services when these findings indicate that those which are already largely outsourced cannot be relied upon to provide the safe and secure environment that should be a priority for government," he added.

"While the vast majority of foster carers do an excellent job in difficult circumstances, academics found that most abuse or neglect in foster care – more than 88 per cent – is perpetrated by carers. In more than a third of these cases the child was physically harmed and a further 11 per cent were sexually abused."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/major-study-reveals-true-scale-of-abuse-of-children-living-in-care-9587244.html