Everybody has failed

摘要

'Looked after children' has never seemed more of a misnomer than when used in the context of the sexual abuse experienced by children in the care of Lambeth over several decades since the 1960s.The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) Children in the care of Lambeth Council Investigation Report looks at five of Lambeth LBC's residential children's units - Angell Road, South Vale Assessment Centre, the Shirley Oaks complex, Ivy House and Monkton Street. The last two cared for children with complex needs and communication difficulties. The report also examines the council's foster care service.By June 2020, Lambeth LBC was aware of 705 former residents of three of the homes (Shirley Oaks, South Vale and Angell Road) who have made complaints of sexual abuse. A disproportionate number of those children were from Black, Asian and multi-ethnic backgrounds. The report concludes the true scale of the abuse 'will never be known, but it is certain to be significantly higher than is formally recorded'.One child - 'LA-A2' - was found dead in a bathroom at Shirley Oaks in 1977. The council did not tell the coroner that he had alleged being sexually abused by Donald Hosegood, his 'house father'. As a result, the inquiry is recommending the Metropolitan Police should consider if there are grounds for a criminal investigation into the council's actions when providing information to the coroner about the circumstances surrounding the death.