Payout for abused family

An Essex family is receiving £190,000 compensation almost a decade after a foster child sexually abused their own four children.

The parents were never told the 15-year-old foster son had a history of sexual abuse.

The family, which is being called the "Ws" for legal reasons, has been awarded the money in an out-of-court settlement.

The parents' marriage collapsed and the children were traumatised by the experience, the family said.

Rape suspicion

The father has recently started work again after a long period suffering from post-traumatic stress.

The abuse happened after the boy arrived at the family's home in south Essex on 7 April 1993.

The teenager only stayed one month but in that time sexually abused all four of the family's children, which included a boy and three girls.

The children were aged between eight and 12 at the time of the abuse.

The father said the four children are coping well now, though they are still suspicious of strangers.

The parents, who were regular foster carers for Essex County Council, had told social services they were not willing to take anyone who was known or suspected to be a sex offender.

The teenager had already admitted sexually assaulting his sister and was being investigated by police on suspicion of rape.

Specialist unit

The father of the family said this request was completely ignored.

The parents eventually divorced as a result of the stress.

Essex County Council, which was sued by the family, has admitted responsibility for setting the chain of events in motion and causing the family's distress.

The director of Essex social services, Mike Leadbetter, has offered an unreserved apology to the family, and the county council says it has learned lessons from the case.

It has created a specialist unit to monitor the decisions taken by social services staff.

The authority has blamed the delay in resolving the case on the need to clarify the law, saying that previously it would have been banned from using taxpayer's money to pay full compensation.