secure unit

We lost our first hearing. Our solicitor said he had never come across anything like this before. Aran's solicitor is now going to go to a more senior member of their team to take this on. It was like we had landed on another planet. Aran would not attend. We were not surprised as he won't attend doctors/dentists without us taking him. The panel asked to pass a note from me into him. The secure unit manageress would not. We wanted him to know he was safe and we were here for him. I now believe that this is no longer a case about Aran. It has become a 'lesson' to be taught to myself and my husband for being too demanding. We questioned things. We pushed forward when we knew Aran was not being cared for, we rang twice daily, we asked about policies. We were always polite and respectful. Why do I feel like I have to explain myself …… I suppose it's because it whole thing has become so surreal that I wonder if anyone would believe us. We reluctantly gave our child for assessment. We were told there was a CAHMS team onsight. There is no such thing. They come once a week etc. We would ask every week to help us get in contact with the team so to help them with their knowledge of Aran. TO explain that Aran had to be assessed with a parent present as he would not participate otherwise...….guess what Aran would not agree to be seen. Aran has been in that place now since the 4th Oct unseen. We lost because the reports by the clinical psychiastrist were based on the unit manageress who gave misleading information. Not all were such but she had an agenda to remove him from close support and she wrote a report to ensure this happened. Yes - I am saying that immoral and illegal practice is going on. It is. Aran was fighting to get free of his prisoners and kept saying he wanted to get out. That he was being held against his will. He fought for his freedom. He eventually retreated to his bedroom and stayed there for hours on end where he attempted to gorge out his wrist with a playing card......then he is seen as a risk to himself. He had never ever done anything like this before. I wonder if he thought he would be taken away in an ambulance to escape...he is a smart boy. Worse, a despair has enveloped him and he is sinking. The 'scratch' and my goodness it was far from a scratch. I had to stop myself vomiting when I saw it- But this was turned on Aran against him. He had not been allowed out of the unit because he was violent to staff, so was indoors for days on end as a risk assessed into a black hole of capture. I think I would have lost my mind. So a child fights for his freedom, that is not naughty. I believe now that Aran was doing the only thing he could do. He asked for his freedom first, then turned to violence. I have never condoned violence but if I had to choose my son to be violent of to loose himself to a stronger will, then I understand him. He felt trapped and mistreated. They would not follow the advice of the clinical psychologist who explained that to manage Aran start off with high reward until Aran trusts and forms good habits. They used a punative system in the name of risk assessment. Upshot. They still have our child. We spent a fortune on our lawyer- nearly £1000 as travelling 2 hours  back and forth plus it was time in advance of the hearing and after. It turned out to be a long hearing. We see now, that this is not about Aran, it is about my husband and I. I would have been the most subservient mother if only I knew. The torture continues. I would loose all my limbs to get him out of there. We are trapped. FOR NOW. When a time comes I will help Aran take legal action. My poor kid.

This is terribly sad news. It's vital to use facts, evidence and legal arguments as rigorously as possible, so it's good that a more senior member of the team is taking this on. It is going to be a tough fight so you need all the resources you can garner. 

Your experience resonates with research I did many years ago with parents of children with learning disabilities. Instead of being seen as a natural loving desire to protect the interests of their children, their actions were pathologised and used to exclude them from decision-making.

Practitioners who feel confident about the quality and ethics of the care they provide do not need to distance parents in this way. There is a Catch 22 of course, the worse the treatment of the child gets, the more distressed the parents get, and as they intensify their fight for their children they risk being pathologised even more. 

Do not blame yourself. Acquiescence and subservience do not necessarily lead to better outcomes. You pushed forward because you knew Aran was not being cared for properly, and you were respectful and polite. It's hard to keep a sense of what is 'normal' in this Kafkaesque situation - you did what any loving parent would.

This section from the Scottish Parliament policy document I referenced previously seems pertinent to Aran's situation: 

Distressed behavior could “reflect inappropriate or inadequate services. In this case, the correct response is to provide the appropriate services, rather than place the individual under greater constraints. Concerns were voiced that the Act can result in people being detained for lengthy periods because the right services are not available". (page 22)

This is terribly sad news. It's vital to use facts, evidence and legal arguments as rigorously as possible, so it's good that a more senior member of the team is taking this on. It is going to be a tough fight so you need all the resources you can garner. 

Your experience resonates with research I did many years ago with parents of children with learning disabilities. Instead of being seen as a natural loving desire to protect the interests of their children, their actions were pathologised and used to exclude them from decision-making.

Practitioners who feel confident about the quality and ethics of the care they provide do not need to distance parents in this way. There is a Catch 22 of course, the worse the treatment of the child gets, the more distressed the parents get, and as they intensify their fight for their children they risk being pathologised even more. 

Do not blame yourself. Acquiescence and subservience do not necessarily lead to better outcomes. You pushed forward because you knew Aran was not being cared for properly, and you were respectful and polite. It's hard to keep a sense of what is 'normal' in this Kafkaesque situation - you did what any loving parent would.

This section from the Scottish Parliament policy document I referenced previously seems pertinent to Aran's situation: 

Distressed behavior could “reflect inappropriate or inadequate services. In this case, the correct response is to provide the appropriate services, rather than place the individual under greater constraints. Concerns were voiced that the Act can result in people being detained for lengthy periods because the right services are not available". (page 22)

Yes, it seems to be working fine now! 

Did I manage to allow personal messages to happen...I think I clicked on the right place. Double check for me please

Your account settings won't allow me to send a Personal Message so I have sent a friend request and included my contact details. 

I would be glad to email or speak with Stephen. I will message you my contact details. 

You have encouraged me. I read your mail a few times and it has calmed and focused my thoughts. Thank you.

Stephen is taking a day off work to take on the mountain of paperwork and research we piling up. We will study your advice and avail of every strategy we can to turn this around. Would you mind if Stephen made contact with you later.