Talking to Myself in the Middle of a Sahara (part one)

What happens to the most vulnerable children in our society when there is a demand for regulated secure placements that cannot be met by supply? The funding and resource problems inherent in local authorities attempting to locate suitable placements for children with complex mental health needs under their care are not new. In 2017 the former President of the Family Division Sir James Munby in Re X (A Child) (No 3)[1] stressed emphatically that it was ‘imperative [for local authorities] to find an appropriate placement’ for any particular child in their care. Going on to express his frustration in that particular case Sir James succinctly articulated the obstacles that seem to accompany the placement of children with complex needs: ‘I might as well have been talking to myself in the middle of the Sahara.’ Now over three years have passed but the same difficulties persist and the patterns repeat themselves.

This article split into two parts will provide an analysis of the duty placed upon and the problems faced by local authorities. The first half will focus...

Read the full article here.