A 16-year-old boy who stabbed his father in an "apparent act of self-defence" was "failed" by Warwickshire services and authorities, a report has revealed.

The child safeguarding practice review found that the teenager - named James in the report - received "fragmented and inconsistent" support, saying his "complex needs were not addressed" by local services.

The report, published by Warwickshire Safeguarding, revealed that James had been involved with child mental health services since the age of nine, was recorded attending A&E 37 times and had tried to kill himself three times in 2019 alone.

But the review found failings across a range of local services highlighting how they dropped in and out of his life "often failing to engage either James or his parents". 

"Practitioners described feeling a sense of paralysis and hopelessness when supports such as drug and alcohol services, education and mental health were not consistent or effective in engaging or supporting James," the report said.

It added: "The local review panel acknowledges that had different decisions or interventions been made earlier in James's life the outcomes might have been different."

Missed School

Examining the two years prior to the February 2021 incident, the review found: "The approach to meeting James's educational needs was fragmented and ultimately the system failed James."

It said he missed a significant part of his secondary school education, which made him even more vulnerable.

The report said it was a "serious failure of the system" that after it was agreed in 2017 that he would need specialist provision, this was not addressed until March 2021.

The report also identified that there was a fragmented relationship between the local authority and his school (which was not named).

"The local authority and the school failed to meet James' educational needs" which left him "vulnerable to exploitation in the community".

It added: "James was a victim of the dysfunctional relationship between the local authority and the school, and his needs remained unmet."

Lack of Understanding

The report also found that James' needs were not met in part because he was never diagnosed with a mental health condition, meaning he fell through the gaps in local services.

While it was identified that he was "extremely vulnerable" with "several complex needs" including risk of criminal exploitation, self-harm and suicide attempts, frequent cannabis misuse and "a history of traumatic childhood experiences", he did not receive the care he needed.

James was also on the waiting list for an autism assessment which had still not happened even after the review was concluded.

The report said: "There is no evidence that any practitioner was able to get a clear understanding of James's daily lived experience, if they did, it did not contribute to the multi-agency work with him."

It added: "A fragmented and inconsistent approach to supporting James and his family led to a sense of professional paralysis amongst practitioners and James's complex needs were not addressed."

James also used cannabis on a daily basis, and despite attempts from local services, he could not be persuaded to take alternative medication.

Exploitation

In August 2019 concerns were raised that James may be involved in criminal exploitation and linked to gangs.

The Home Office Single Competent Authority said it was possible James was a victim of modern slavery.

In July 2020 the child exploitation team eventually agreed that James was at risk of exploitation after it was reported that another young person had tried to stab James' father, and he had retaliated by trying to drive his father's car at the attacker.

But Warwickshire Safeguarding also said the police lacked the capacity to assess the risk of exploitation to a young person.

It said police responded to individual incidents rather than building a "comprehensive assessment" of risk to James.

No investigation was made to try and understand his daily life, who he socialised with, where he visited or how he got his drugs.

"Warwickshire Police did not have the capacity to proactively gather intelligence about young people who may be at risk of exploitation," the report found.

It added: "The non-proactive police approach dealing with each incident on an individual basis meant that the element of criminality in James's life was not fully known or understood."

Following the publication of the report Detective Superintendent Pete Hill, head of safeguarding and vulnerability, said: "The whole purpose of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) is to identify where improvements can be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

"In the case of James, the professionals involved in the review looked at James' lived experience in the build-up to the event that triggered the requirement to conduct a CSPR.

"One of these recommendations was that the police should explore the capacity of the Child Abuse, Trafficking and Exploitation (CATE) team to be more proactive when children are at risk of being exploited or are being exploited.

"The findings from the review are being taken seriously, there is a commitment to significantly increase the level of resources within CATE, this uplift in resources will put Warwickshire Police in a strong position to address the threat of child exploitation."

Nub News has approached Warwickshire County Council for comment.

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