Boy says foster carer dictated ‘angry’ letter to mother

A boy in care who wrote his mother a "why I'm angry" letter has now said his former foster carer told him what to write, the Dublin District Family Court has heard.

As part of a review of the case on Friday, Judge Brendan Toale was also told that the boy said he refused to see his parents for a year because his former foster mother told him he would have a better life with her.

The boy and his brother, taken into care due to neglect, have since moved placement to a rural foster family.

Allegations

After they were taken into care, the boys, both at primary school, made allegations of sexual abuse against a relative. The

Child and Family Agency

social worker said she understood a file was due to go to the DPP on those allegations. She also said recently that one of the boys had made allegations against his birth parents. At a meeting with gardaí, officers said they would not be questioning the boy about the allegations at present.

The social worker also said that at a recent child in care review – a meeting between social workers, the children, a court-appointed guardian and parents – the older boy was very upset and said he didn’t go on access visits with his parents because his previous foster parents discouraged it.

His younger brother had separately complained that he had been punched by this foster carer, who was appointed through a private fostering organisation. The organisation had brought the concerns to the agency’s attention.

Concerns

Asked whether the complaints about the children’s previous foster carers had been referred to gardaí, the social worker – appointed after the boys had moved to their current placement – said no.

They were dealt with under the “serious concerns policy” and she had investigated them. She said the younger boy said his brother was present when he was punched, but the older boy said he never saw it, she said. The social worker believed the complaints did not warrant Garda notification.

She said the boys were now settled in their rural placement, though they consistently said they wanted to go home.

Giving evidence, the boys’ mother said that at the care review her elder son said “I missed a year of my ma’s life because I was told not to go to access because I’d have a better life with her [the foster mother]”.He told her he wrote the “why I’m angry” letter because “she put things into my head and told me what to say and told me what to write”.

The solicitor for the agency said the social worker denied this was said at the meeting.

The case was adjourned to a date this week.