A VICTIM of historical child abuse has seen his fight for justice take a step forward after an investigation was launched into his case worker – who is still employed in the industry.
Richard Tracey, now 47, was taken into care aged two, after his single-parent mother took her life.
Now the social services watchdog has opened an investigation into allegations his social worker 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 also 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. The treatment Richard was receiving in foster care is acknowledged in documents which are said to be Mr Quinn’s contemporaneous notes.
However, any injuries were dismissed in these notes as minor and Mr Tracey was 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 the notes attributed to Mr Quinn say, 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 the notes.
The notes also include Mr Quinn recording an occasion when he asked Mr Tracey’s foster mother 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, the disclosed records show he 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, according to the documents, the social worker said he was again considering terminating supervision of Richard, and leaving the family to get on with it.
Medical notes show 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 the records show a discussion with Charlotte Tracey in which both felt this would be “giving in” to Richard.
Unhappy at home, Richard began self-harming, but the social worker apparently told Richard that perhaps he was guilty of thinking “the grass was greener.’ 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.
A further investigation by North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership repeated this verdict and said the 2001 inquiry had been a “rigorous management investigation”.
Bill Jordan, a professor of Social Work in Plymouth, who has known Richard Tracey for 16 years, said the case was shocking and records indicated a poor standard of social work.
“Richard has been trying for more than 10 years to get some recognition and redress for the harm he suffered as a child at the hands of Strathclyde Council social work department,” he said Even after being taken into residential care, nothing was done, Professor Jordan said.
A spokeswoman for the SSSC said: “We are unable to comment on ongoing investigations. However, we will look at any case that we hear about.”
A spokeswoman for North Ayrshire Council said it was aware of the investigation, adding that it was “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.
Mr Quinn could not be reached for comment.
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