Boy was moved from foster home after ‘rough handling’ complaint

A young boy taken from his parents’ care because social workers had sex abuse fears was moved from a foster home after a complaint about him being “roughly handled” by a new carer, a family court judge has heard.

The youngster, now six, spent about 18 months at the foster placement, Judge Joanna Vincent was told.

Alarm bells rang when a member of the public called the NSPCC to raise concern about the way the foster carer was treating him.

He was then moved to a new set of foster carers.

Detail emerged in a ruling by the judge following a private family court hearing in Oxford in October.

The judge said the boy could not be identified, but the social services staff involved worked for Oxfordshire County Council.

Judge Vincent had been asked to make decisions about the boy’s long-term care. She concluded that he should be placed for adoption.

“A parent at (the boy’s) school made a referral to the NSPCC about (him) being roughly handled and being called names by his carer,” said Judge Vincent.

“The decision was made for (him) to move to new foster carers.”

Judge Vincent said social services staff identified a number of concerns.

She said they were worried that the foster carer had a “forthright manner, which came over as a lack of emotional warmth”.

The judge said the move to a second foster home was “unplanned and sudden” and the youngster had not found it easy to settle.

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