by Thor Roney

I guess that a lot of people who have gone through the care system feel they have had a raw deal. Who they blame for it is another matter.

Obviously lots of them had a hard time at home or at school before they ever came into care. They may blame their parents or the people who abused them.

Others may feel sore about the social workers and other staff they came across and who failed to deal with their problems or help them come to terms with their experiences.

It was worst of all for those abused in care. Talk of a raw deal. The others had it bad, but when the helpers harm you, where can you turn to find someone you trust?

You can understand why these people want damages. Some people think they are just gold-diggers, but I say that if you have any shred of human sympathy in you, you will recognise the injustices they have suffered and want to put them right.

What I want to say is that if they’ve been abused, it’s a triple whammy, and no-one really puts it right. I know that some of them can get cash from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. Some seek damages from the agencies which provided their care and social work services. (I’ve not come across any who sued social workers. Have you?)

With these damages, people can buy counselling or therapy, but they don’t get back their lost childhood, and they can’t blot out the grief and pain they’ve had. They have to live with it, and overcome it.

That’s asking a lot. Some manage it, and have done well in life. There are quite a lot of celebrities who’ve been through care.

For others, they have ended up with messed up lives – mental health problems, prison, marriage breakdowns, problems passed on to their own kids. They’ve got to carry on living with all this.

Who’s to blame? Their families? The social workers who didn’t sort things out? The people who abused them? How can you tell how much has been caused by abuse in care when someone was abused by their family first?

I know the Social Services can’t be expected to find solutions for everyone’s problems. Some may be too complicated and need a long time to sort out. Some people don’t help themselves, and they spend their time kicking up and making life difficult for the people trying to help them, and they reject the opportunities to put things right. Sometimes people don’t get on with their carers - maybe a clash of personalities. Social Services shouldn’t take the rap for everything.

But when you’ve said all that, you’ve still got a bunch of people who are unhappy. Even when they get some money for their damages, they still often feel that they’ve had a raw deal. They still need help to get on with their lives. They still deserve justice.