secure unit

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)

Hi there Robert. Closed unit allows the youngsters into the community. They can access the outside world under supervision. Secure is the same as adult jail in terms of no access to the outside world. I am allowed 2 visits a week with as much telephone contact that is reasonable.. No other family or friends are allowed ( during assessment- in which no one tells me what and how this assessment is and how they carry it out) There is an outside court and a outside football turf. There are no goals in place for the boys to play football yet. Yes, each unit has 6 beds. There is a sititng room where they come together. Every movement is supervised. Movement is limited and has to be with an adult. Aran goes to bed at 9 and is locked in till 8 am. There is a buzzer if he needs assistance. He can have water but it appears if he is hungry during the night - its tough. Aran has retreated to his room for long spells. e.g the other day he went to bed at 9 pm and did not eat or get up till 3 pm the following day. He was encouraged to get up but he just lay in his bed. This is so awful to see as Aran was a keen monro climber and loved being active. I hope it gave you an ideal. My biggest concertn right now is Aran's lack of freedom of thought. I think I may have mentioned it somewhere above- how he was removed from the sitting room for after expressing that he wanted to go home and was been held prisoner. Aran was removed from the older teenagers for this. He was told he was not allowed to say that in front of the others and that if he wanted to say he was a prisoner he had to tell an adult but never in front of another youngster. NOW, I take issue. Above all else, this is a land of free speech and if expressed in a non offensive way then it is healthy and encouraged. It could have been a good opportunity for a calm discussion to take place and points of view taken. Aran might have heard that it gets better to wait, he might have heard the opposite where a youngster feels it is terrible to have no freedom- but it is important for each child to own their thoughts and learn how to share such respectfully with eachother. Aran had not sworn or said it aggressively.  So make your own mind up...….I want my son to feel free to speak- always politely and with others in mind. 

NAS49619 said:

Our son Aran was moved to a secure unit from a closed secure unit today.

I was wondering, what exactly is the difference between a secure unit.  And a closed secure unit?

Is it visiting rights by family ? 

Being able to go outside a building  to get  fresh out? 

Being able to mix with other inmates?

Being locked in a room for long periods? 

???

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.

Drove across the country again to see Aran. Took our eldest son again. Used the time in car to go over our strategies and bounce ideas around.  Aran's face beamed when he saw his brother. We went into games room. Stephen and I almost fell over when we saw a a red scaring across his wrist. We were told about 4 days previously that he had a colouring book and football cards in his room We immediately explained that this cannot be done to an ASD child. He needs to sellf regulate and sooth to avoid stress and then violence. He had been without his things for some time- safety procedures for kids who lash out.....!!!!!! Aran had used a playing card to saw into his wrist. It must have taken some time to do what he did. He has never self harmed in his life. We took his up the mountains, on bike rides, to the skate park  etc to regulate him. He had been stuck in the close unit for 8 days without a breath of air, so his world became his bedroom and the sitting room they use. He spend a great deal of time alone in his bed as he withdrew from everything. The incident was not relayed to us honestly. It was made out to be scratches. We imagined something else completely.. I have asked for a photo to be taken and sent to us....lets see if that happens.. I will get the panel to see this on Tue if necessary. Our son was not treated appropriately for ASD. Hence he lashed out. Plus he saw he was being held prisoner. We are sick to our stomach to see learn the power that the system has. Logic and righteousness do not apply. He was later on removed from the sitting room as he said that he wanted to ,go home- that he was being held prisoner'. He was told on his own that he was not allowed to say he was being held prisoner in front of other children. It might upset them. I understand that on one level, but if supression of thought is going on, then that surely is very unhealthy. Staff had explained to Aran that they were not holding him prisoner and that it was someone else who took that decision. All Aran sees is that the staff there have keys to go in and out of the door and they are not letting him go. So his thinking was correct. It feels like a communist state of thinking and imposing on the kids thought patterns that encourage dumming down and compliance above all else. I explained that a gently talk with Aran among the other children migth have been the best course of action. The children could have given Aran coping strategies having gone through the whole thing already. For many of the children there the secure unit may well be the best home they ever had and this could have been usefull to Aran. It feels wrong. The right to thought and expression should be the very basics.

And a smart cookie too!! thank you. Will take a look. It is so good to have someone look out for us as we navigate through this trial. My gratitude to you for your time and experience shared with us.

Sunflower, you are so right.  Your words are straight to the truth. Thank you.

I am sure you have already seen this Scottish Parliament publication on ASD; here's a link just in case you have not: www.parliament.scot/.../SB_17-23_Autism_Spectrum_Disorder.pdf

i wish you luck and i don't want to sound negative or scaremongering but have you read this story in the daily mail today ?

www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Hundreds-children-held-appalling-conditions-routinely-abused-secluded-cells.html

There's an upcoming conference organised by Scottish Autism in Glasgow (8-9 November 2018) with some relevant papers - see especially page 4 - A Series of Unfortunate Incidents... here's a link to the programme and abstracts:

www.scottishautismconference.org/.../Conference_Seminar_Stream_Booklet_170718.pdf

Try and stay strong to fight for Aran. You won't feel like sleeping or eating but your brain needs rest and fuel. I am glad you sought help from a doctor.

Horrific as this situation is many autistic people have an incredible ability to endure and recover. Those of us who are older have survived some dreadful experiences. 

Aran knows that you love him and that you are fighting hard for his rights. He will take courage from that. Hold your other children close too when you can. 

It feels like Jeremy - Beth's dad had an amazing team. How lucky is Beth to have a parent like that. When S.W. were reading out statements that came from the closed unit, we had to immediately dispute many of the points as false or misleading or exaggerated.  We were stunned by the untruths. We believed in an honest process. It is not. That frightens me because it shows me they have the power and lack of principles to be unjust in even the basic reports. Stephen and I looked at eachother and a whole new realisation came to us instantly. This was never intended to be a fair shot. There is so much work to do and trying to get Aran to contribute when he is in the middle of a new and sudden transition, is really unfair on an ASD kid.

Sunflower.... thank you. The scottish law is probably different.  I wish I had seen all this info today. 

Thank you all for reaching out to us as a family. We drove to see our son today with our eldest teenage son. Aran is sleeping like drugged. He refused to see us. We were taken around to see the place and the place seemed Ok. It is clearly a jail. My 16 yr old son was shocked.  Staff were good at explaining things. I wrote Aran a letter and left it. I rang up around 7.30 to see of Aran got out of bed. He had and was expressing his need to go home. He said to a member of staff that he did not want to see us till Tuesday when he would be going home. It was explained to him that we were getting lawyers to help make that happen but it might not be that he would be coming home. I was glad that the truth was being told. We see the lawyer on Monday for us parents. I have tried to get a lawyer for Aran in advance of the hearing but all offices closed till Monday.  In order to see the paperwork being submitted we have to drive to another location to get them. Otherwise we will have no chance to prepare our arguements back.

I am suffering terribly. The enforced severing from my son is hitting me so hard that I am in a shock that shakes my body. I am unable to sleep- I have not eaten today. The stain and pain is so brutal as everything that is happening is abhorrent to mother nature.  I had to go to our of hours to see a doctor as I know I need to have my wits about me and in this state it is no good for my son. He needs my assistance and my body is grieving. Mothering my 3 other children is impossible so I have got friends to help and support us. My husband is showing the strain. He is staying strong for me and working like a trooper to learn the law as fast as possible.

I do not know my rights now as a parent. Can they medicate Aran without my knowledge or consent. Can they stop our visits. Aran has two options as I see them and he has to learn fast. Comply or break. Either way you loose yourself to the power of another will. I don't want his spirit broken. He is being peaceful. I agree that we would let him be there for the short term for assessment purposes only. If I could say to Aran - it will be 6 weeks. But I am terrified that once he is caught in the system it will be a tough one to escape. 

Aran got up and asked to see you 25 minutes after we left. 

They could not phone us to return as there was another visit in progress.

I may be that Aran was had enough of a shock to learn.  But he is 13 and although intelligent still with a child's understanding.  Surely Scotland can do more than splinter a faimily up against our will. Now, the irony is that Aran is costing I don't know how many thousands but when I appiled to get an assistance for Aran - it was refused. The policies have not supported a family to stay together. There must be thousands of ASD kids who have been violent in the home. Where are they all. Not in the 81 secure beds to cover the whole country. A family we know, signed section 25 to access education for their son, have now revoked theirs as they are terrified of something similiar happening.

We are assaulted as a family. The kids are feeling disbelief. 

Thank you all for support.....truly.

Hi NAS49619

This must be such a worrying time for you.  I am hoping you will find a recommended, named lawyer to contact.

We do have an Advocacy Legal Page that might be of use (includes links for Scotland): https://www.autism.org.uk/directory/browse/cid=4~aid=9.aspx

Hope this helps,

Nicky-Mod

Bless you sunflower for just being you!

()

Here's an excerpt from an account by Bethany's Dad - 

"I had advice given me to contact Catriona Filmer, The Head of Legal at Mencap and the Head of Pro Bono at Fieldfisher.

Within hours this wonderful person had engaged not one but two Barristers on my behalf and as I did not meet the criteria for Legal Aid, the help would be on a Pro Bono basis meaning the work they were undertaking for me was going to be without charge.

Team Beth was born.

Oliver Lewis, Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers who practises on Mental Health and Disability, Court of Protection cases as well as International Human Rights cases.

Victoria Butler-Cole is a Barrister at 39 Essex Chambers. She specialises in public law and has a particular interest in mental health. Appearing in the Court of Protection work she has been described as a “star performer” and a “very persuasive advocate”.

Without Twitter, I never would have had such eminent, knowledgeable, and convincing counsel. They are also bloody nice people!

They tolerated my painfully slow responses via email and my inability to retain info for longer than a goldfish due to my mind just being overloaded.

The three of them worked with me to provide the best possible counter to Walsall MBC’s accusations.

I supplied copies of care plans stating how Beth needed to be in the community, I gave them copies of the note Beth signed allowing me to use social media to tell her story. I emailed them copies of reports showing my presence at every type of meeting from LAC Reviews to CTRs. I gave them copies of reports stating Beth has capacity and had chosen her own solicitor to represent her MHA rights in tribunals.

I cannot disclose what happened inside the court. It was a private hearing.

I can tell you how I felt. I felt understood. I felt my views were heard. I felt my case was put over in a way that fully countered what Walsall were claiming my actions were doing to Beth. I felt terrified yet supported by those around me."

In a recent case where a parent (Bethany's Dad) needed urgent legal support Twitter provided a quick way for him to connect with the right people.

If you have not already got a Twitter account it's easy to set up. If you ask Bethany's Dad @JeremyHO9406697 to retweet your message it will reach lots of relevant people.

If you prefer I can Tweet from my own Twitter account asking for recommendations for child lawyers in Scotland and explaining the urgency. I can then post any replies in this thread. 

Keep us informed on how things go.

If your son is violent then a short stay in a secure unit could turn out to be a good thing.   As long as it is a short stay!!!

The danger is that he might get  'lost' in the system and getting him out and home may become a protracted drama.