The British state has given up on the children who need it most | Gary Younge

From knife crime to special needs and mental health, a lack of care caused by austerity is undermining the fabric of society

Shirley (not her real name) tried her best. As her son grew into adolescence and became increasingly wayward she sought help. She enrolled in parenting classes, asked the council to relocate her family out of the London borough of Brent and had endless meetings with social workers and psychologists. She sought referrals for mental health assessments but was told her son Sean (not his real name) did not meet the threshold. She sent an email to her MP with the heading “PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY SON!!!”

A few months later she warned Brent social workers: “If we don’t do something, he’s either going to end up dead or someone’s going to end up in a body bag.” Less than two years after that Sean, by then 15, stabbed another 15-year-old to death and is now in prison. When his mother forwarded her email chain with the council to me, many responses carried the sign-off: “Brent Council needs to save £54m over the next two years …”

Children are going where most profit can be made from them. One careworker has described it as legalised trafficking

Related: Number of children in care rises 4% in England

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2qQrCvu