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Please note that this insight was first published in May 2019, and therefore whilst the subject matter is still relevant, it may not represent the most up to date information or use of language in this area.
Introduction
In the summer of 2017, three teenage boys in Croydon died in the space of four weeks. A 16 year old looked-after child died as a result of his injuries when the moped he was riding with two others crashed, a 15 year old on a child protection plan died from multiple stab wounds in a gang related incident and a 17 year old died after ingesting a highly toxic drug. All 3 children had been known to Children’s Social Care by the age of 2. It was agreed that a thematic review would be undertaken into a group of vulnerable adolescents who either have had poor outcomes or were of considerable concern. The review identified 60 children in all and aimed to establish whether there were any patterns in the children’s experiences that could inform practice going forward.
Below is our summary of the findings of the review and the key themes. It is important to note that whilst the cohort of children considered in this review were all vulnerable adolescents, the findings are applicable to all organisations working with children and young people, regardless of age.
The full review and executive summary as produced by Croydon LSCB can be found here.
Acknowledged limitations
Before continuing it is important to note that the cohort was created through subjective identification by either Children’s Social Care, the Youth Offending Team, the Police or the MASE (multi-agency sexual exploitation) panel. No other agencies contributed. There was also no control group that the outcomes of those selected were measured against, with generic outcomes for Croydon children being used as the benchmark. This means that whilst useful for information and learning there are limitations to how far the data can be used.
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