A High Court judge has condemned the Isle of Wight Council’s ‘inadequate’ placement of a boy in a £500,000 children’s home.
The 10-year-old boy with complex behavioural needs was placed in an unregistered children’s home for four months, a placement which cost the local authority £29,000 per week.
During the hearing, allegations were made about the regular use of restraint in the home, whilst concerns were raised about the boy’s isolation.
According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the boy was the only resident of the home and entered the care system last year after witnessing traumatic domestic violence incidents.
Whilst the shortage of Ofsted-approved accommodation created difficulty for the council in housing the boy, Mr Justice Keehan found the placement and the boy’s treatment ‘wholly inadequate’.
The case is reflective of the wider issues faced by children’s social care services, which are under severe pressure due to the lack of suitable children’s homes and rising placement costs across the UK.
A council spokesperson said a ‘significant majority of local authorities are now using unregistered homes for some of the children in their care’.
‘The Isle of Wight Council is pleased that the child referred to in the article has since moved to a different home, and one that is registered with Ofsted', they added.
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