Paul has raised a point how can we be critical of the social services system? they have such a difficult task. The applicants are so few, and the potential for harm to the children if wrong foster parent selection made so great. Regardless of gender, racial, lifestyle and other ethical questions, how can we protect the child without checks and balances?

Trying to put myself in the position of selecting a suitable foster parent and making a final selection would be very hard. I could not imagine the horror of dealing with the knowledge I put an already damaged child in the care of abusers, or into a family that is dysfunctional in any way. The very thought that I made an error in judgment would haunt me for the rest of my life. You absolutely would not want me as the judge serving sentence on you if you were the predator who used the social services to procure a victim. Mercy would not be in my vocabulary that day.

Yours, Aye. Dave