Foster child suffered 'emotional' abuse

The care inquiry panel have heard from a witness who claims to have suffered emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of her foster parents.

The witness, known as Miss B, was looked after by her grandmother and grandfather when she was a baby but she feels that her grandparents were bullied into putting her into care.

She was placed with a foster family at the age of three, she claims she was unhappy because the foster mother was unkind to her.

Miss B said that Children's Services "did not visit very often" and when they did they never spoke to her alone, always with the foster mother present. She therefore never had an opportunity to tell them how she was really feeling.

She compared the foster mother to the mother in the horror film 'Carrie'. The foster mother was a Catholic and very religious. Miss B said she was forced to go to church.

She claims her foster mother would regularly speak badly about her real family, especially her mother and that made her feel very unhappy.

She said her foster father was very kind to her. He did most of the 'caring' as the foster mother was an alcoholic. The witness said: "In the mornings my foster mum would come down and pour herself a vodka lemonade."

She said she is surprised Children's Services did not pick up on this and says they must have known. She is surprised an alcoholic woman was allowed to become a foster mother.

Miss B maintained contact with her own real parents and their families growing up and moved in with her real father aged 16 as she was then allowed to decide whether or not she wanted to remain in the foster home.

She has maintained contact with foster parents throughout life. The witness has never spoken to them directly about how she felt growing up. Her foster father has since died and her foster mother is now elderly and does not know Miss B is giving evidence.

The £6 million Jersey Care Inquiry is investigating back to 1945.

As the weeks progress, the inquiry will continue to hear from those who suffered abuse as children, those who worked in the care system and those accused of abuse.