Covid inquiry: Mum’s threat to daughter a bid for help

A mother threatened to harm her Down’s syndrome daughter to force authorities to become involved because she was so desperate following the withdrawal of social work support during the pandemic, an inquiry has heard.

Eddie Mcconnell, chief executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, told the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry the woman was “absolutely at the end of her tether” and felt the only way to get help was to do something “quite disastrous”.

He told the inquiry many families felt a “lifeline” was withdrawn when they were told social care services could no longer be provided when the pandemic began, and many were left “on their knees”tryingtonavigatethe pandemic on their own.

Faryma Bahrami, junior counsel to the inquiry, asked Mr Mcconnell to expand on his evidence about the mother.

He said: “We would never passjudgmentonsomebody that was so desperate that she was getting no support, in that person’s case from social work, and felt that the only way to get that support was to do something quite disastrous, to in a sense invoke statutory involvement in her family, because her view was nobody was responding to her pleas for help so she took that really desperate measure and we absolutely do not have any judgment on that.

“It was clear she had very significant mental health needs that were not being supported or recognised. It’s uncertain, there was statutory involvement in terms of the police, it’s uncertain whether she actually did harm her daughter so it’s importantforustoacknowledgethat,sheallegedshewas going to harm her daughter and she saw that as the only way to get support because nobody was listening, she was absolutely at the end of her tether.”

The inquiry, taking place before Lord Brailsford in Edinburgh, continues.