An inquest has heard of a 'fundamental failure' in the care of a teenage girl who was found hanged. The body of 15-year-old Grace Peers was found at the residential care home where she was living on September 10, 2018.
The schoolgirl, from Middlesbrough, had long standing behaviour issues and was diagnosed with an attachment disorder. But the teenager was also known for her "funny and quirky" personality and was a "much-loved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and friend", Teesside Live reports.
Grace's behaviour problems began around the age of four or five, the troubled teen's mother Kelly Boyce said. She became violent with relatives and doctors told Ms Boyce her daughter's emotional level was the equivalent of a child who was 18 months younger.
Senior coroner Clare Bailey heard that Middlesbrough Council became involved in Grace's care on a child-in-need basis but this progressed. Grace was taken into care at her mum's request on July 20, 2016.
Ms Boyce said: "I had sought help from the local authority services due to my concerns. The way the local authority assumed the issues were not Grace's but mine demeaned me and I found it very difficult but necessary to interact with the local authority. I felt they took the stance that it was my failings that caused the issues and this is what they focused on."
Grace was sent to two foster homes but both broke down and she moved in with her grandmother for several months. Her mother said during this time she was excluded from school and started hanging round with a bad crowd. The inquest heard Grace was then taken to a residential home in Darlington and was later sent to a home in Guisborough following an incident involving herself and a young boy.
Ms Boyce said Middlesbrough Council did not notify her about reviews and care plan meetings involving Grace's care. She claimed she would receive a report after the meetings but wasn't given the opportunity to provide her input.
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She said: "At the time of Grace's death I shared parental responsibility with the local authority. I was not made aware of review meetings concerning Grace and I therefore did not attend them. I felt completely out of the loop and not involved in the continued care for Grace which I had wanted to be.
"I am still very upset regarding Grace's death and find it difficult to understand why she isn't here today. I also find it very difficult to understand why the local authority made me feel like I was to blame."
The inquest heard at the time of Grace's death she was due to be moved to a Middlesbrough care home by the local authority but was planning to contact the NYAS (The National Youth Advocacy Service) as she wanted to stay at the Guisborough home. Coroner Bailey said the decision to move Grace was made on September 7, despite the views of the family, school, home, doctor of the home and Grace herself not being obtained.
Grace was found unresponsive in her room in the Guisborough home three days later but police confirmed there was nothing in Grace's room to suggest she wanted to take her own life.
Coroner Bailey said she was concerned about the "apparent lack of communication between social services and persons interested in Grace's care." The coroner vowed to write to the head of Middlesbrough social services to ask that the wishes and feelings of children are obtained and considered on decisions.
She said: "It is a fundamental failure that Grace wasn't specifically asked her wishes and feelings."
Giving evidence, Audrey Sutcliffe, former health and wellbeing coordinator at Grace's school, the Outwood Academy, said: "Over the years that I knew Grace my opinion is that she was a funny, quirky, a wonderful actress and at times a drama queen. Grace's life had been difficult however, she had developed her own resilience to her situation. Grace made me laugh and at times I wanted to pull my hair out, out of frustration at her behaviour.
"Grace had good solid friendships despite her difficult behaviour and she could be absolutely lovely. Grace was loved by her friends and had a good relationship with academy staff."
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