OPINION Children will pay if foster carers don’t trust system

Foster carers are all too often under- appreciated hidden heroes in Scotland’s communities.

At the very least, anyone willing to open up their home and offer love, support and guidance to vulnerable and frequently troubled children deserve to expect courtesy and respect from the authorities who employ them.

That is why North Lanarkshire Council’s treatment of fosterers Diane and Karl Boyle is as inexplicable as it is troubling.

Social services senior managers were happy to allow more than 60 children to be taken into the couple’s care over almost two decades.

Yet, after two brothers made claims of assault against Diane last year – which were proven false – they have found themselves blacklisted and deprived of their livelihood without explanation.

Diane has no criminal convictions and a Sunday school teacher, a council social worker and the boys’ grandparents were witnesses in her defence. Despite this, North Lanarkshire Council have placed themselves beyond reproach, meeting both the Boyles’ and this newspaper’s request for information with a wall of secrecy.

The claim that ongoing lega l proceed ings prevent them from being able to discuss the case simply don’t wash.

We are aware of what can and can’t be published within the law and there is no reason why a candid statement couldn’t have been released, if a decent explanation exists.

Let’s be clear, in the case of foster care, the safety and welfare of children is paramount. But it is also reasonable for those offering their services to be given an unambiguous explanation if they are to be suddenly frozen out of a role they have performed without complaint for 17 years.

The Boyles are taking North Lanarkshire Council to an employment tribunal with the backing of a trade union and it’s difficult to disagree with their decision to take action.

They are claiming unfair dismissal in a landmark case that could result in substantial compensation being awarded.

As things stand, North Lanarkshire Council’s treatment of Diane and Karl is not just a personal travesty for the couple, it will also serve to dissuade others from becoming desperately needed foster carers.

This is a fragile industry that requires a culture of tightly regulated but transparent trust to be built on all sides, and in this case that seems to have completely broken down.

Let’s be clear, in the case of foster care, the safety and welfare of the children is vital