Foster care case should have been investigated, association chair says

Guðlaugur Kristmundsson, chair of the Foster Parents’ Association, has criticised the welfare quality and oversight agency for not investigating a foster care case further, despite concerns that warranted closer scrutiny, mbl.is reports.

A report published by the agency this summer said adults who had grown up in foster care were asked about their experiences. When the agency considered examining the matter further, it found that the foster parents apparently did not have the required permits. The agency concluded it lacked authority to investigate further.

Kristmundsson said it was “incomprehensible” that the case had not been pursued. He questioned whether another Bakkakot case had gone unaddressed, referring to a case in which boys were repeatedly subjected to violence at a foster home and which was covered extensively earlier this year.

He compared the agency’s reasoning to declining to investigate a traffic offence because the driver did not have a licence. The oversight body’s role in child protection, he said, should be to protect children and help improve practices.

If the agency will not investigate cases to improve municipal procedures, assess results and determine how work can be improved, it cannot act as a quality agency, he said.

Kristmundsson said child protection workers around the country had called for the agency to take clearer leadership. They want guidance for municipalities on organising child protection work, placing children in foster care, and carrying out supervision and record-keeping. He said the agency should play a more active role in aligning procedures and supporting improvements.