Council 'ignored warnings on potential sex offender'
SOCIAL work staff in Midlothian claim they warned management a teenager in care was at risk of committing sex abuse, but their concerns were ignored and the boy has since been in court for a string of sex offences.
The claim, made in an e-mail to MSP Christine Grahame, comes as council chiefs are reeling from a damning report into the authority’s child protection services.
Ms Grahame said she had been contacted by children’s services staff complaining their efforts to highlight failings in the service had been dismissed out of hand by social work management.
And Unison, the union representing Midlothian social work staff, said it had lodged a grievance nearly two years ago, raising concerns about staff shortages.
One e-mail sent to Ms Grahame said: “You might also want to look at the case of a local young man who recently appeared before court on a string of sexual offences. This young man was recently in care and identified as being at risk of perpetrating sexual abuse but again senior managers did nothing to address this.”
A highly critical report by HM Inspectorate of Education, published yesterday, said youngsters in the district had been left in high-risk situations and others in care were not seen regularly by staff.
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