County council apologises and pays £60k to settle claim over abuse experienced during care

A claimant has received £60,000 and an apology from Nottinghamshire County Council after settling a civil claim for the abuse he experienced as a child in the council’s care.

Law firm Leigh Day said its client, Jay, had as a young child been placed under the care of Nottinghamshire in 1987 after his mother struggled to cope with caring for him and his siblings.

For a period of over four years, Jay lived with the same foster parents in Nottingham. He recalled being subjected to serious physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the hands of his foster father throughout his placement.
 
Leigh Day said that in 1993, concerns were raised by social workers about the safety of Jay and his siblings following an allegation of sexual abuse by the foster father towards another child in the household. 

The foster parents were permitted to take Jay and his siblings on holiday abroad soon after, where Jay remembered suffering further sexual abuse. 

On their return to England, Jay and his siblings were removed from the care of the foster parents.

Leigh Day said Jay later made a disclosure of sexual abuse by the foster father to social workers but was deemed too young and vulnerable for a police interview.
 
Jay and his sisters were adopted and moved away from Nottingham. “Whilst his adoptive parents were loving and supportive, Jay struggled to trust authority figures and found it difficult to settle at school. He was troubled by unwanted thoughts of the abuse and his mental health suffered,” Leigh Day said.

In 2019, Jay contacted the abuse claims team at Leigh Day following the publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s report into child abuse in Nottingham. This report concluded that the sexual abuse of children was widespread in both residential and foster care in Nottingham during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
 
Following the publication of the IICSA report, Kay Cutts, the leader of Nottingham County Council, said: “Some children were entrusted to our care and we failed them. We now know that they were subjected to horrible and heinous abuse that has left many damaged and scarred for life. They suffered at the hands of devious people who had malice in mind. The fact that this happened is something that leaves me personally feeling deeply saddened and ashamed.”
 
Leigh Day subsequently brought a successful civil claim on Jay’s behalf for the alleged abuse and mistreatment he suffered in foster care. A psychiatric expert instructed on behalf of the claimant concluded that he had suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and alcohol misuse disorder caused in part by his childhood abuse.
 
Following the successful settlement of his claim, Jay said: “Life is very much different after having my legal case finalised and signed off. Life seems to be a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable to live. I’m really pleased to bring the litigation to a successful end and look forward to my future.”
 
Catriona Rubens, a solicitor at Leigh Day who acted for Jay, said: “I’m pleased that Jay’s claim has come to a successful conclusion and that Nottinghamshire County Council has paid him compensation. The abuse of children in care in Nottingham is a stain on the local authority’s history. It is only by recognising survivors’ accounts, and offering tangible redress, that the council can go some way to righting the wrongs of the past, and ensure that children are safeguarded for the future.”

Nottinghamshire County Council has been approached for comment.