Pound Pup Legacy

While I believe there are many people in this world working very hard to improve the lives of children, I also believe we are a far cry from being where we need to be in terms of providing proper protection for those children who need it most.

Another case has made the papers, describing life for a child placed in foster-care.

Kenneth Wilson, 27, preyed on the children from the age of five and six after "teaching" them how to perform sex acts.

A judge told Wilson at the High Court in Edinburgh the abuse and its effect on them must have been "devastating".

Roger Craik QC said he would have jailed Wilson for eight years for the offences, but for his guilty plea.

Mr Craik, a temporary judge, said: "It is appreciated you were only 16 yourself when this abuse started, but you were old enough to know what you were doing."

The judge also ordered that Wilson should be kept under supervision for a further two years after the prison sentence.

Wilson, of Dunbar, in East Lothian, earlier admitted sexually assaulting one youngster over a nine-year period and indecent behaviour towards a second boy.

Advocate depute, Claire Wilkinson, said: "These offences have had a devastating impact on both victims.

"They were placed in foster care because of neglect and mistreatment at a very young age, only to find that they were even less safe in their new home."

She said the boys came from "a very troubled background". Their mother became a drug addict and moved to London and the father was unable to cope with them.

She added: "After extensive social work intervention it was decided to place the children into permanent care away from their family."

The two boys were placed into foster care with the mother of Wilson.

'Extremely serious'

Miss Wilkinson said: "During their time in foster care, they had little by way of toys or personal possessions, were noted to be poorly clothed and were regularly placed in a box room as punishment.

"Over the years their behaviour deteriorated both at home and at school but this was put down to their difficulties from early childhood, rather than any current issues."

Wilson earlier pled guilty to abusing one boy between 1997 and 2006 and the other child between 1997 and 2005.

Defence solicitor advocate, Jim Keegan, said first offender Wilson appreciated that the offences were "extremely serious".   [From:  "Six years for foster care abuse", 22 September 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7629104.stm]

Every day, (reported or not), there are children being sexually abused within a foster/adoptive home.  These are abuse cases that could and SHOULD have been prevented from happening.

Every day children are being attacked and punished in foster/adoptive homes because people from dysfunctional families are in direct daily contact with vulnerable children.   

Every day a child slips through the cracks of a system that gets paid to keep children safe and protected from harm.

Every day, someone is not protecting children as promised.  Every day someone is not ensuring future safety by doing thorough family screening and background checks.  Every day someone is not doing a critical follow-up investigation.  Every day a case of foster/adoptive home abuse is taking place, and not getting reported.  Every day these errors, oversights, and "mishaps" are costing lives.

I think it's very very sad that it can be said time and time again, "They were placed in foster care because of neglect and mistreatment at a very young age, only to find that they were even less safe in their new home."

Child Protective Services, what ARE you doing for children these days?  What needs to be done so each child in placement services gets what he/she needs and deserves?  Last but not least, how do we implement these changes so no more children are sexually abused within their foster/adoptive homes?