Inquest into death of foster carer Marcia Grant finds failings at Rotherham council

The Star, Sheffield

The coroner particularly pointed to issues in recording risk assessments and failures in finding adequate placements for children, after Marcia Grant was run down by a child in her care.

Transcript

00:01These past two years have been deeply distressing for us as a family.

00:05We have been on an agonising journey to uncover the truth behind the events and systemic failings

00:11that led to the death of our beloved mum, Marcie Grant.

00:16What has become evident over the last few weeks leaves us with no doubt that our mum

00:21was failed, our family was failed, and so too the foster child that was in our long-term

00:27care.

00:29It remains a source of deep sorrow and frustration that senior leadership within the council

00:34has consistently refused to acknowledge their own accountability despite being fully aware

00:40of the risk history of Child X and our mum's own needs as a foster carer.

00:46They chose to look away, take no responsibility and to make no meaningful change for carers

00:52after her, our mum's death.

00:57We wholly welcome the coroner's findings that our mum was failed on numerous fronts,

01:02and that these failures directly contributed to her death.

01:07however, whilst this leaves us with a sense of vindication, it also serves to reinforce to

01:14us how badly she was failed.

01:18If not for these failures, our mum would still be here with us today.

01:23Our mum was dedicated to protecting vulnerable people, she did so with strength, compassion,

01:29and an unwavering sense of duty.

01:33Yet when it mattered the most, the same system she gave so much for did not protect her in

01:38return.

01:39She deserved better.

01:40She deserved better.

01:41We all did.

01:43I'm going to check the spelling of your name, Sean, is it S-E-A-N?

01:47S-H-A-U-N.

01:48S-H-A-U-N.

01:49S-H-A-U-N.

01:50Your mum sounds like she would do anything to help anyone.

01:55She couldn't refuse a child in need because she seems to be that kind of person.

01:59All she wanted to do was help, but she didn't know what she was being brought into.

02:04It was not disclosed to her what she was being brought into.

02:08And had she would have known, based on what previous breakdowns that she'd had in other

02:13children that she had in her care, she wouldn't have known.

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