Chapter 15 — Foster care

Current circumstances

Six (6) female witnesses reported that they were occupied in home duties for most of their lives, having worked briefly in unskilled positions before they married. Five (5) witnesses reported that they never worked for any substantial period of time. They described themselves as unable to deal with authority and/or cope with the demands and expectations of the workplace: ‘The only thing I know is how to survive, I don’t know how to progress.’

Most witnesses reported having stable and secure living arrangements at the time of their hearings. A small number of witnesses were dependant on the private rental market, community support services, or the support of relatives. Three (3) witnesses reported having experienced long periods of homelessness and instability in the past and four others reported having been dependant on the goodwill of their foster families for shelter in later adolescence and adulthood. I’ve never really had my own place, I’ve been just pushed and pushed around...I always dream that I could have a home where I could put my head down and nobody could come in through that wall... • The thing about orphans is that when we get into trouble the only place they can put us is into prison...because we don’t have homes to go to, we don’t have people to latch onto...

At the time of their hearing witnesses described their accommodation as follows: Ten (10) witnesses owned their own homes. Eight (8) witnesses lived in local authority housing. Four (4) witnesses were living in private rented or sheltered accommodation. Two (2) witnesses lived with relatives.

During the course of their hearings witnesses provided general information regarding their health and well-being, either directly or while describing other aspects of their lives. For the purpose of writing this Report the Committee categorised the witnesses’ physical and mental health status as good, reasonable or poor based on the information they provided about their past and current health history.

All 24 witnesses reported either good or reasonable physical health circumstances, 10 of whom described themselves as experiencing good physical health without any particular health problems that affected their day-to-day functioning.

Fourteen (14) witnesses were categorised as having a reasonable level of physical health. They reported histories of ongoing illness and physical complaints that have had some impact on their everyday functioning, but were not debilitating. Three (3) of the witnesses reported having digestive problems that required surgery. Two (2) other witnesses reported that they have been treated for cancer and a further five witnesses reported suffering with arthritis, kidney problems, and the physical symptoms associated with an eating disorder.

Four (4) of the14 witnesses who described reasonable health circumstances reported physical impairments as a result of congenital deformities and childhood illnesses, including polio. In each instance the witness reported that their physical disability has had negative consequences and affected their availability for work to varying degrees.

Witnesses who reported being abused in foster care reported more mental health difficulties than physical health concerns.

Seven (7) witnesses, three male and four female, described poor mental health circumstances and reported being hospitalised for the treatment of depression and suicide attempts, recently and in the past. Several witnesses described themselves as having nervous dispositions and being in need of ongoing professional support. They also reported that their ability to work and maintain positive social relationships has been restricted by their mental health difficulties.

Seven (7) witnesses reported their mental health as good, three of them described experiencing low moods at times but being generally able to maintain a positive attitude. Ten (10) witnesses gave accounts of reasonably stable mental health. They described themselves as suffering with depression or anxiety attacks either currently or in the past, which they manage with the assistance of counselling, medication and other types of support.

Among the witnesses who reported being abused in foster care a higher proportion of female witnesses reported receiving in-patient psychiatric treatment and a higher proportion of male witnesses reported having either considered or attempted taking their own lives.

Witnesses who reported being abused in foster care frequently commented on their inability to trust people and the damaging effect this had on their interpersonal and social relationships. They also reported feelings of loneliness, isolation and worthlessness. Witnesses who had spent most of their childhood and adolescence in foster care reported being ‘alone in the world’ when they left their foster homes, accentuating the sense of isolation they had previously experienced: A lot of people think it’s just talk is going to solve the problem but it’s not, who are you going to talk to?... I’ve had flats years ago but I’ve walked out of them because of loneliness. A lot of people go to the drink... if I had a wish I’d wish I could have a home that nobody could put me out of, and I’d wish I could have people around me. I can’t go to the foster parents and say “will you be my friend?”... there’s no place for me, not even on the streets.

The following table highlights the areas of difficulty described by eight male and 16 female witnesses, in the order of frequency reported:

Male witnesses	Female witnesses
Effects on adult life*	Number of reports	Effects on adult life*	Number of reports
Counselling required	5	Counselling required	12
Abuse not easily forgotten	4	Lack of self-worth	9
Lack of trust	4	Lack of trust	9
Loner	4	Loner	8
Suicidal feelings or attempt	4	Tearfulness	7
Aggressive behaviour – verbal	3	Feeling isolated	7
Angry	3	Post-traumatic effect	7
Feeling different from peers	3	Anxious and fearful	6
Feeling isolated	3	Mood instability	6
Lack of self-worth	3	Feelings related to being a victim	5
Substance abuse	3	Nightmares	5
Withdrawal	3	Suicidal feelings or attempts	5
Aggressive behaviour – physical	2	Withdrawal	5
Anxious and fearful	2	Abuse not easily forgotten	4
Mood instability	2	Issues of needing approval	4
Overprotective of children	2	Overly compliant behaviour	4
Aggressive behaviour – psychological	1	Sexual problems	4
Alcohol abuse	1	Somatic symptoms	4
Tearfulness	1	Alcohol abuse	3
Fear of failure	1	Angry	3
Feelings related to being a victim	1	Feelings related to being powerless	3
Nightmares	1	Issues of self-blame	3
Post-traumatic effect	1	Sleep disturbance	3
Sexual problems	1	Unable to settle	3
Sleep disturbance	1	Unable to show feelings to children	3
Unable to settle	1	Feeling different from peers	2
Unable to show feelings to children	1	Substance abuse	2

Nine (9) witnesses reported experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviour in addition to descriptions of mood fluctuations and tearfulness. Problems associated with sleep disturbance, anxiety, social withdrawal and anger were reported by more than a quarter of all the witnesses. If I had an argument with somebody,... (I would think)... should I hit the person or...Now I wouldn’t, I think it could be to do with maturity. Years ago if somebody stood in my path, yes... (I would hit them)...and I’m amazed that I haven’t ended up in prison. • I suffered depression... I have attempted suicide. When I was 15...I took a load of tablets belonging to ...foster mother...I didn’t know what half of them were. I went to bed and took them and said “this is it” in my own head and the following morning then I woke up and I’m still here...and then about 2 or 3 years ago everything got on top of me again and I took an overdose again.

Seventeen (17) of the 24 witnesses reported having received counselling to help them deal with these and other issues. Many witnesses commented that access to counselling has only been available to them in recent years, with generally positive effects. Witnesses also remarked they became more aware of their need for help to deal with their past experiences as they got older, while stating it was often difficult to take the first step I just completely suppressed everything, had forgotten everything... then everything started coming back to me. I never had counselling, I never had anyone to talk to... I was threatening for some time that I was going to do something... (about it)... I needed to get my head sorted out... and I suppose I didn’t want to face up to it either at the same time.