Allegations that Edinburgh City Council sent a vulnerable youngster to live with a care worker accused of sexual abuse will be discussed at an emergency committee next week, just two days before the local elections.
Conservative members of the education committee called for the meeting to be held following reports that an investigation into the culture of the council's care services requested by Chief Executive Andrew Kerr five years ago never took place.
A report in the Sunday Post at the weekend claimed that council staff were also aware a girl in care was living with a social worker under investigation for having a relationship with a 15 year-old.
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The claims come following revelations of “illegality, maladministration and injustice” and “serious and sustained failings” within Edinburgh Secure Services (ESS), which provides care and accommodation for youngsters aged 10 to 17 across Edinburgh, outlined in a report to councillors last month.
Although not released in full publicly due to the report's “sensitive nature", a council source familiar with its content said it revealed “physical and mental abuse of highly vulnerable and disturbed young people in the council’s secure units, going up to 2020”.
According to the source, it also highlighted a “toxic management culture” and referred to "the normalisation of abusive behaviour and inadequate investigation into complaints".
Conservative group leader on Edinburgh Council Iain Whyte said the latest allegations were not mentioned in the recent ESS report.
He added: "Probably the biggest one was an allegation that an investigation was ordered on the authority of the Chief Executive and nothing happened.
"We need to get to the bottom of whether that's true and the other thing was about why a young person was placed with someone that was under investigation and why we don't have systems to stop that.
"From my point of view, this is a really important issue and it has to be looked into and I think it would be unfair to leave it to a new council with a whole load of new and inexperienced councillors, when actually we should look at this and we should try to explain to the public what investigations have taken place and hopefully gain some reassurance that things are being looked at properly."
Committee standing orders specify that an emergency meeting can only be held if at least a quarter of members are in favour. On Monday (April 25) a request for one from Cllr Whyte, alongside the three Tory councillors on the 11-member education committee, was granted.
As it has to be held within eight days of the request, the special committee will meet remotely next Tuesday at 10 am — less than 48 hours before polls open for the council elections.
Officers are requesting councillors to exclude members of public from the meeting on the grounds it would "involve the disclosure of exempt information". It is anticipated the full agenda will be published the day before.
Cllr Whyte said: "The issues I want raised and my colleagues want raised is about investigations that all appropriate investigations did actually take place and what we're doing about the fact that there have been investigations with strong recommendations and they don't seem to have been taken forward in the past."
He has asked for a report to be brought to the committee outlining why the minor was allegedly placed with a suspected sex offender, whether claims Mr Kerr's request for an investigation into ESS in 2017 didn't go ahead are true and how the accusations relate to the report shown to councillors in March.
"The report should detail whether any issues raised at any stage in these matters remain to be investigated and whether the young people involved in the ESS cases have been interviewed," Cllr Whyte wrote in an email to officials this week.
"The report should detail all senior management interaction with the outcomes of the reports identified and the Chief Executive should explain why he has not personally ensured that recommendations were implemented through being aware of the work of the Council’s children’s’ services and through management and appraisal of the work of successive directors."
Ellie Bird, vice convener of the education committee, said: “People at the heart of these important issues will rightly expect all Councillors to work openly, honestly and constructively.
"We have always worked cross party on this and will continue to. Getting it right for every young person must remain our priority, and we will ensure that matters of this nature are always taken seriously.”
