Children in mental health units double

THE number of children with learning disabilities and autism who are locked up in mental health hospitals has more than doubled in four years despite the Government promising to halve detentions.

A report by the Children’s Commissioner for England found that in February there were 250 youngsters detained, compared with 110 in March 2015.

The Government promised in 2015 to move up to 50 per cent of children and adults into community-based support systems by March this year, but NHS England recently announced it was extending the deadline by five years.

The report found too many children were admitted unnecessarily to mental health institutions, often far from home, and were regularly restrained or sedated by staff.

In December, there were 750 reports of children being drugged or bound to keep them under control.

Anne Longfield, the commissioner, said the inquiry had found “shocking evidence of poor and restrictive practices”. She said: “I will never forget the stories I heard from mums and dads at a meeting I arranged for parents with children in these units and their tears of frustration and anger.

“The onus is now on ministers, the NHS, the Care Quality Commission, Ofsted and local authorities to make sure that these most vulnerable of children are not locked out of sight for years on end simply because the system is not designed to meet their needs.”

The report found that the average child detained in a mental health institution had been there for six months, while around one in seven had been there more than a year, and some for more than two years.

Nearly one in four had been placed in a hospital for six months that was at least 30 miles from their home, and one in 10 was 60 miles away.

Parents complained their children had been neglected, with one family saying their son had not been washed for six months while in hospital. Some also had their bedding taken away in the daytime to stop suicide attempts.

A separate investigation by the BBC’S Newsnight found record numbers of teenagers were being looked after in unregulated homes.

Figures show the number of unregistered or unregulated homes has risen by 70 per cent in the past 10 years, with more than 5,000 over-15s living in them, compared with 2,900 in 2009.