Episode 10: Child X and Y: ‘No one saw this coming, everyone trusted him, didn’t they?

This episode looks at the review carried out by Mid & West Wales following the sexual abuse of two adolescent boys by their foster carer. Child Y disclosed the abuse in April 2020. Child X disclosed the abuse in March 2021. Adult Z was found guilty of the sexual assault of Child Y, but not guilty of the charges in respect to Child X. Both children had been subject to significant adverse childhood experiences prior to their placements with the foster carer. Learning themes include:-Not assuming that past trauma always explains or mitigate a behaviour or expressed concern when a child is in care-Think the unthinkable, believe the unbelievable and imagine the unimaginable- Understanding how recording in a certain way and using particular language and terms can feed into building a narrative of the child-Hypothesis or confirmation bias-Proactive management and matching of placements, of assessments of risk, and analysis of incidents or events and their implications- Robust and clear records and the importance of Quality Assurance - The importance of effective IROs- Effective foster carer reviews including calling early reviews when necessary