A study by The Joint Committee on Human Rights found youngsters are living in “horrific” conditions at mental health hospitals in the UK that can inflict “terrible suffering” on those detained.
The report describes the “grim, predictable pathway to inappropriate detention” that takes place when struggling children are taken away from their home and the familiarity of routine.
“Under these conditions, the young person unsurprisingly gets worse and is then put through physical restraint and solitary confinement – which the institution calls seclusion. As the child gets even worse so plans to return home are shelved. The days turn into weeks, then months and in some cases even years,” the report reads.
Mark Arnold is the additional needs ministry director at Christian youth charity Urban Saints.
He tells Premier he shares the anger and disappointment of the report’s authors:
“This isn’t new, it’s been going on for a long time. And not much has been done to raise awareness about it. But here we are still with the same things happening over and over again.
“The staff in mental health institutions haven’t had adequate training or support to be able to know how to best get alongside them.
“A better understanding and acceptance of autism and of young people with learning disabilities is needed.”
Arnold, who has a 17-year-old son with autism says struggling children…
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