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South Lanarkshire Council has paid a six-figure out-of-court settlement to Karen Maguire, a woman whose adoption of a two-year-old boy failed. Maguire claimed the council failed to provide her with enough background information on the child or adequate support during the placement. The child self-harmed and suffered from sleep problems, and it later emerged that he had a serious underlying medical condition about which Maguire was not informed. The adoption broke down after just four months, leading to a prolonged dispute with the council.
Maguire spoke out to express her concerns about the lack of support available to adoptive families. She had applied to adopt as a lone parent, and the process took six months. Although she knew that many local authority children had social and emotional issues, she believed that she could handle mild additional needs, but would struggle with severe problems. A two-year-old child was identified as suitable for her, but she later learnt that this child had developmental difficulties.
Maguire said that she knew something was wrong when the child arrived in her care. He was covered in bruises and would self-harm by banging his head. Daily life was “horrific”, with the child having “rages” and striking her. Despite pleading for help, Maguire felt let down, with social workers insisting that she was imagining things. Support was eventually offered, but Maguire believed that it was insufficient.
Since her experience, Maguire has sought legal support. South Lanarkshire Council paid her an undisclosed sum, believed to be more than £100,000. Charities estimate that up to 25% of adoptions may fail. Dr Polly Cowan from Scottish Adoption called for more funding for adoptive families, national guidelines, and better monitoring. The Scottish government states that it is committed to providing support for adoptive families
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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