Mummy Told Me Not to Tell (22 page)

‘I have found a psychologist’s report that was written ten years ago,’ he said. ‘It says, even then, that Tracey has a poor grasp of reality, and an IQ equivalent to that of an eight-year-old child. She and the children — Sharon, Brad, Sean, Reece and Susie — all have learning difficulties. The only child who doesn’t is Lisa, who lives with an aunt.’

‘Does Lisa have a different father?’ the chairperson asked, wondering, as I had, if a different set of genes could provide the answer.

‘Yes,’ Jamey said. ‘But so do all the children.’

‘And who are the fathers of the other siblings? Do we know?’ the chairperson asked.

‘No, the fathers’ names were never registered on the birth certificates, apart from Reece’s,’ Jamey said.

‘And why was that?’ the chairperson asked.

‘Apparently Scott insisted he was on Reece’s birth certificate. I don’t know why the other fathers weren’t shown. Perhaps the fathers weren’t aware of the births. Tracey wasn’t in a relationship with any of them, and as far as I can see we don’t even have their names.’

‘I see. Thank you,’ the chairperson said. ‘Please continue, James.’

‘I have not visited the family home but I have read a number of reports of colleagues who have. The house was always very dirty, and Susie and Reece were uncared for, and sometimes unfed. There was never any food in the cupboards or fridge. There were no carpets and very little furniture, apart from a wide-screen television, which Reece watched endlessly. Susie spent most of her waking hours sucking her thumb
and rocking on the mattress where she slept. Reece slept on the same mattress or on some blankets. The heating was rarely on in winter, and concerns were expressed about gross neglect since the time Reece was born. Susie and Reece were finally removed following Tracey’s assault on Susie, and also because the paedophile was still visiting, despite Tracey having been warned about this.’

‘I take it Tracey won’t know which school Reece is attending,’ Mr Fitzgerald put in.

‘No,’ Jamey said. ‘Although it’s possible she may find out.’

‘How?’ The head asked, almost demanded.

‘Reece could tell her at contact, or she might hear it through the grapevine,’ Jamey said. ‘She is well known round the estate, which is only a mile from the school and Cathy.’

‘Is it wise to have Reece living so close to his mother?’ Mr Fitzgerald asked, clearly very concerned. I looked at Jamey and the chair.

‘No,’ Jamey said. ‘But the placement team were running out of options of where to put Reece. He needed a carer with a lot of experience, and Cathy was the only one who was free and suitable in the whole of the county.’

‘And what happens if his mother should come to the school?’ Mr Fitzgerald continued.

‘You could try talking to her at the gate,’ Jamey said. ‘But don’t let her into the building. She is not allowed to see Reece, apart from at the supervised contact. If she won’t go quietly, then call the police.’ The police liaison
officer raised her eyes to heaven, as though imploring help.

Tom Fitzgerald was visibly shaken by all he’d heard and I sympathized. Most childcare cases weren’t this fraught, and sometimes the natural mothers liaised with the school, and accompanied the carers to school functions and parents’ evenings.

‘Can you make sure Reece doesn’t know the name of the school?’ he asked me.

‘I’ll do my best,’ I said, but I silently acknowledged that it was going to be difficult, for what was I to say when Reece asked me the name of his school, which he was bound to do eventually? Make up a name or say that I didn’t know? Apart from which, Tracey knew the area and would know that there were only three primary schools in the vicinity to choose from. It wouldn’t take her long to find which one Reece attended if she positioned herself outside each school gate in turn at 3.20 p.m.

‘I’ll have to alert the school staff,’ the head said; then, as though reading my thoughts, ‘and perhaps, Mrs Glass, you could start collecting Reece a bit earlier? Say three o’clock?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘If you wish.’ But here would be yet another occasion when Reece would be standing out as different from his peers, as he was in PE by having a TA at his side continually, and when I took him in and collected him from reception instead of the playground.

‘From today, please,’ he added to me; then, addressing the chair, ‘Could I give my report now, as I really should be getting back to school?’

Kim nodded.

‘I haven’t much to say, as this is only Reece’s third day with us,’ the head began, ‘but what I would say is that the manner in which I was forced to accept Reece into my school amounted to bullying.’ All those present, apart from Jamey and me, looked at him questioningly, unaware of what he was referring to. ‘The judge in this case gave a directive to the education department that Reece had to be in school immediately,’ he clarified. ‘My school was chosen for no other reason than that it had a vacancy and is local to where Reece now lives. I was forced to accept him.’

No one commented: it was outside the remit of the conference to pass an opinion on this, although his comments were noted by the minute-taker.

‘However,’ Mr Fitzgerald continued, ‘while I do not believe it is the most suitable school for a child with Reece’s schooling history, we are doing our best. And I have his carer’s reassurance that his behaviour has improved. Reece is at the level one would normally expect to see in a reception class — about the age of four and a half. He is still working towards Key Stage 1, and has a full TA support, including lunch and playtime.’ The head continued by quoting the results of some tests which had been done at Reece’s previous school, and which underlined the level of his needs. He said it was his history of behavioural difficulties that gave him the greatest concern, particularly as he had already been involved in two incidents of a sexual nature.

The chairperson stopped him to ask what these were, and Mr Fitzgerald described what had happened. Then
the chairperson looked to Jamey and me for further comment. Jamey explained that Reece had been exposed to inappropriate sexual behaviour at home, and that the social services knew for certain he had watched X-rated adult videos, but added that no one really knew the full extent of what had been happening.

‘Do you think Reece has been sexually abused?’ the chairperson asked him.

‘It’s impossible to say at present,’ Jamey said. ‘There is an investigation going on at present into Scott, Reece’s father, in respect of allegations Susie, his stepdaughter, has made against him. There is nothing to suggest that Reece was also sexually abused by Scott, although it is possible.’

‘Not by his own father, surely?’ the head asked, disgusted.

‘We can’t rule it out,’ Jamey said. Mr Fitzgerald looked absolutely appalled, but I knew, as Jamey did, that such horrendous abuse did happen in families, even by fathers of their sons. ‘And there was a paedophile visiting the house,’ Jamey added.

‘Do you think Reece has been sexually abused?’ the chairperson asked me.

I could only agree with what Jamey had said. ‘I don’t know. It’s possible. Reece can touch inappropriately, but we haven’t seen any overtly sexualized behaviour since he first arrived. I think it will be a long time before Reece tells anyone, as Tracey appears to have quite a hold over him.’

The chairperson nodded. ‘Thank you, Cathy.’ The minute-taker wrote. Mr Fitzgerald finished his
contribution as he had begun by saying that in view of Reece being in his school for only a few days, it was too early to comment on his progress, but that everything was being done to accommodate him.

The chairperson thanked the head for coming and Mr Fitzgerald left the conference. The two nurses were then asked to give their reports, which were brief. The community nurse confirmed Reece’s immunizations were up to date, and his weight and height were within the normal range. She said she had known the family for a year, and had expressed concerns about Reece (and Susie) when she’d first visited the home. She was pleased the children were now in care and being well looked after. The school nurse followed, and said that she hadn’t met Reece yet but would be seeing him after Easter when she was scheduled to visit the school. She said she would be testing his eyesight and hearing, as she would that of the other children in his year.

All that remained now was to hear from Kirsty, the police liaison officer, who had already spoken briefly when she had outlined recent police involvement. She started by drawing our attention to her report in the case notes, and we all turned to the relevant document. Her report had a list of dates on the left-hand side of each page, and a corresponding paragraph on the right, which set out the incident to which the police had been called.

Kirsty summarized as we read, and her report was a shocking indication of the high level of involvement the police had had with this family. Twenty-four separate incidents were listed, and that was only in the last three
months, since the last CP conference at the beginning of the year. Sharon, Tracey’s eldest child, who lived in a teenager residential care home in the county, featured strongly, as did Tracey. Sharon had been picked up on the streets by the police for being drunk and under the influence of drugs, and for assaulting a member of the public. On each occasion she had been given a cooling-off period at the police station before being returned to the care home. On two occasions when she had been taken to the police station Sharon had hit an officer and then accused him of assaulting her, threatening him with her mother’s solicitor. On another occasion Sharon had been found in a locked children’s playground at midnight, crying hysterically, and having tried to cut her wrists. The police had taken her to hospital and she had later been discharged with the wound sutured. Sharon had been offered counselling but had refused it. ‘All the older children have been offered counselling,’ Kirsty said, ‘but none of them has attended.’

The next list of incidents were assaults by Tracey — on a doctor, a social worker, members of the public, a shopkeeper, an ex-teacher of Reece’s, neighbours, Scott and finally Susie. Each time the police had been called they’d had to physically restrain Tracey, which had resulted in her accusing them of assault. Tracey had been taken to the police station six times during this three-month period, but after a verbal warning had been released. Tracey and Sharon had been picked up together on two occasions in the high street, late at night and both drunk. The second of these incidents had occurred in early February, a couple of weeks after
Reece had come to me. When the police had asked Tracey and Sharon what they were doing they had said they were going to see ‘Reece’s new foster carer’. Kirsty said she didn’t know if they had my address or if it was bluff.

Kim, the chairperson, sighed and looked at me. ‘If any of the family does come to your house you must call the police immediately.’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I will.’ And I meant it.

‘And I should be careful in the high street,’ Kirsty added. ‘Tracey and Sharon are often there during the day as well as at night.’

‘Yes,’ I said, wondering where exactly it was safe for me to go.

‘Isn’t Sharon supposed to be back in the care home by nine thirty?’ the chairperson asked.

‘Yes,’ Kirsty replied. ‘But she never is, and there is nothing they can do about it. It’s not a secure unit: they can’t lock her in.’

The next two incidents detailed when the police had been called to the care home after Sharon had been fighting another resident. Although this case conference wasn’t about Sharon, Kirsty’s report was important to the conference as it set Reece in the wider family picture.

The last five dates detailed incidents when the police had been called to the council offices when Tracey had been ejected by the security guards but had refused to leave the car park. She seemed to make a habit of standing in the car park and accosting staff and members of the public as they walked in and out of the building.
Kirsty came to the end of her report and stopped. The room was quiet.

‘Good heavens!’ Jill whispered under her breath to me.

‘I know,’ I said. ‘Just as well the head isn’t present to hear this lot.’

‘Absolutely,’

‘It’s dreadful,’ the chairperson said. Then, looking at Jamey: ‘What are the long-term plans for Reece?’

‘Assuming we are granted a full-care order at the final hearing in September, we will be looking for a long-term carer, as far away from this area as possible. We hope Reece and Susie will be the ones we can save in all this.’

The chairperson nodded in agreement. ‘Does anyone want to add anything?’

‘It’s a pity Sharon can’t be moved out of the area too,’ Kirsty said, ‘right away from Tracey’s influence, but I guess it’s too late.’

Jamey agreed. ‘Sharon is eighteen now. She will be leaving care soon. I understand she wants to go back to her mother. There’s nothing we can do to stop her.’

‘Is the paedophile still visiting the family home?’ the chairperson asked, obviously concerned.

‘Yes,’ Jamey said. ‘That’s one of the reasons why Sharon wants to go back home. She says she fancies him and he fancies her.’ My stomach lurched and I heard Jill sigh. The case just got worse and worse. ‘There have also been suggestions,’ Jamey continued, ‘that Scott has been having a sexual relationship with Sharon as well, but there is no proof.’

‘That’s correct,’ Kirsty said. ‘Sharon made an allegation against Scott nearly a year ago, but withdrew it under pressure from Tracey. The latest I have heard is that Sharon is claiming to be pregnant.’

Jamey nodded. ‘But it could just be fantasy — she has made similar claims before. Let’s hope it is.’

We were all quiet again. Clearly there was no end to the abuse that was being perpetrated in one form or another in this family. I would like to say that I had never heard anything like it before but sadly I had. Not too often, fortunately, but there are families who seem to flaunt all the laws of morality and exist at a basic, almost feral level.

All that remained now was for the conference to go through the formality of deregistering Reece by taking his name off the child protection register, now that he was no longer living at home and in need of the monitoring and protection that being on the register allowed. The chairperson asked us each in turn if we agreed to the deregistration, and we all said yes. This was minuted. Then the chairperson thanked us all for coming, and said again what a sad case it was. She thanked me for all I was doing for Reece, and we stood to leave.