Why has this happened to me?

Of course each child or young person and each placement is different, so it's hard to generalise.

In fact, you will probably be the people in the best place to work out what happened and why. But what we have found in unsubstantiated or false allegations, is that children often feel let down in some way and want to lash out. Ironically if they feel safe with you and feel that you are unlikely to reject them, you might be the very people that they hurt. If they have been abused before and disclosed but not been believed they might have thought that nothing serious would happen again this time, but by making an allegation they might they get the attention that they need.

Sometimes children or young people misinterpret something that has been quite innocently said or done as an abuse or a signal for abuse. In the case of physical abuse, where there are bruises or marks, it is important to think back to where or when they may have been caused. Many children in foster care also 'self harm' and where this is a characteristic it is important to draw psychologist reports etc into the investigation. Whatever the type of abuse alleged, it will be very difficult to think objectively in the short term, so get help.

Sadly in some cases, children and young people are harmed in foster care. In such cases Fostering Support Ltd will strive to draw together the information necessary for the Fostering Panel to determine whether the harm was accidental or an any way deliberate. It is also very important to differentiate 'Harm' from 'Significant Harm' and to ensure that records accurately reflect this.