How Could You? Hall of Shame-Scotland-Richard Tracey case

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Kilmarnock, Scotland, “Richard Tracey, now 47, was taken into care at the age of two, after his single parent mum took her own life.

Now the social services watchdog has opened an investigation into the social worker who left him in a foster placement despite knowing he was being ‘beaten’ and apparently disregarded claims he was being sexually abused.

Mr Tracey was placed with a large local foster family in Kilmarnock in the early 1980s, where he was subjected to physical abuse and claims to have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a family friend.

Hugh Quinn, who at the time worked for East Ayrshire council, and now works for North Ayrshire council, was his social worker and the treatment Richard was receiving in foster care is acknowledged in Mr Quinn’s contemporaneous notes. But any injuries were dismissed as minor and Richard blamed for bringing the assaults on himself or exaggerating to seek attention.

Mr Tracey, says he has suffered lifelong psychological problems and succumbed to alcoholism as a result of his miserable childhood, and says that instead of being supported after the death of his mother, he was repeatedly let down.

The Herald has seen extensive records he has obtained about decisions made in his case, including medical records and his full social work file.

At one point Mr Quinn wrote, of his foster placement: “I know Richard’s being beaten up, but it’s not in any way excessive.”

At another stage the social worker’s notes record: “a claim of sexual abuse has been made, it is not sure whether it is from the boy or his adoptive parents”. In fact, Richard claims he was being regularly abused by a man who was friendly with his foster parents, but no further mention of the allegation is made in his notes.

The notes also include Mr Quinn recording an occasion when he asked Richard’s foster mum Charlotte Tracey if she feared George Tracey, her husband, would go ‘over the score’ in his physical punishments of the troubled 13 year old. Mrs Tracey said ‘Yes’.

No further action is recorded and soon after social work records state: “perhaps consideration should be given to withdrawing from the situation and letting the family ‘get on with it’ in their own way”

Yet in autumn 1982, records show had a ‘leathering’ from his father, and later reported Mr Tracey had kicked and punched him in the stomach. Mr Tracey admitted hitting him. Astonishingly, at this point the social worker says he is again considering terminating supervision of Richard, and leaving the family to get on with it.

Medical notes show that a GP assessed Richard after his father hit him in front of several witnesses, but the doctor concluded the ‘degree of the assault has not been serious’.

Richard was repeatedly asking to be taken into residential care. His social worker disagreed and recorded a discussion with Charlotte Tracey in which both felt this would be “giving in” to Richard.

Unhappy at home, Richard began cutting himself with a razor blade in 1983. In response to this self-harm, the social worker told Richard that perhaps he was guilty of thinking “the grass was greener” elsewhere.

The investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) comes after a long struggle by Mr Tracey to get answers about why he was not better protected when in care. East Ayrshire council investigated the case in 2001 but dismissed his concerns.

Even after being taken into residential care, nothing was done, Professor Jordan said: “When he was at Redbrae List G school, he reported being assaulted with a riding crop by a member of staff. His social worker was very concerned at first, but then came to dismiss the incident as unimportant, and having been exaggerated by Richard.

“In my opinion, all these entries in the social worker’s notes contained clues that Richard’s problem behaviour arose from abuse by the Traceys and a visitor to their home, and that the social worker chose to dismiss them.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Social Services Council said: “We are unable to comment on ongoing investigations. However we will look at any case that we hear about. It doesn’t matter when it happened, if we receive allegations we would look at those and consider whether there is misconduct or malpractice.”

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “We are aware of this investigation. However it would be inappropriate to comment further on matters relating to an individual employee while the investigation is ongoing.”

Richard Tracey said he was grateful that his case was now being looked at, but said his complaints should have been acted on much sooner.

“This has been going on for a long long time,” he said.

“It’s quite clear from the social work file that throughout what should have been my childhood, the emphasis was on protecting the establishment.

“That still seems to apply in respect of the social worker. It is tragic that my childhood effectively ended when I was two.””

Investigation will look at whether social worker allowed man to be abused in foster care[Herald Scotland 6/14/16 by Stephen Naysmith]

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