What is Child Abuse in Care?

Children who reside in care home facilities or foster homes deserve a right to adequate care. Whilst the majority of care homes and foster families provide vulnerable children with a safe environment to live in, there have been several cases of abuse taking place.

Notable cases of child abuse in care homes include the abuse scandals of Lambeth Council’s children’s homes in South London in the 1960s and Operation Pallial, the police investigation into a series of allegations against children’s care homes in North Wales. 

Whilst child care homes have largely been replaced by the foster care system, there are still some facilities operating with predators working there. There are various types of child abuse in care that children can experience; if you or someone you know has experienced any of the following – whether it be a recent or historical case – you may be eligible to make a claim.

Types of Child Abuse In Care

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is an example of child abuse in care homes that can leave children with long-lasting trauma. Physical abuse includes hitting, punching, kicking, choking and more acts of violence. 

Sexual abuse 

There have been several cases of staff at care homes or foster parents abusing their position of power to sexually assault the children in their care. Sexual abuse may include indecent exposure, taking indecent photographs of children, inappropriate touching, sexual acts or rape. 

Sexual abuse can also take place between children under the children’s homes’ supervision. There have been several allegations of children from Lambeth children’s home being left alone with other children where they would be sexually assaulted by other children. 

Negligence 

Child care home organizations can be sued for negligence for various reasons. If they knew abuse was taking place but ignored it, this is an example of negligence and demonstrates how children were let down by the system. Survivors of Lambeth Council’s Shirley Oaks reported that staff turned a blind eye to the blatant abuse that occurred in the facility.

Suing For Child Abuse In Care Homes

There are various types of child abuse in care homes that can leave a devastating impact on children. If you or someone you know has experienced any of these types of child abuse in care homes, you might be eligible to make a claim.

You can make a claim against the member of staff who subjected you to abuse, or you can make a claim against the owners of the children’s home, this could be a local authority or a privately-owned company. This is allowed as the law indicates that they have a duty of responsibility for their employees’ actions.

Get In Touch

If you believe you have a claim, please get in touch with our team of compassionate solicitors, and we can best advise you on how to proceed. If you experienced any of these types of child abuse in care, you may be reluctant to speak out as the abuse occurred many years before. However, you deserve compensation for the harm caused. 

Please call 0151 242 5111 to begin your claim today.