By Gabriel Princewill-
Croydon Council has admitted failing the mother of a teenager stabbed twice despite the mother’s plea to be moved to safer accommodation.
It follows an investigation by Bexkleyheath Mp, Robert Jenrick into the negligence of the council after several councillors ignored numerous emails by Simone John to avoid an impending danger she could see coming to her son by moving her urgently.
Ms John sent multiple emails to various councillors between 2018 and 2019, begging to be moved, but she was thoughtlessly ignored as though she did not exist. The mother of three has since developed post traumatic, acute anxiety, and depression.
Croydon Council admitted in a response to Mp Jenrick, shown to The Eye Of Media.Com by the mother that they failed to act quickly enough after admitting two referrals into Children’s Social Care in December 2017 and March 2018 which were not progressed into an assessment.
The young teenager, Na-sharn was referred into the Council’s Gangs Team for prevention but the case was closed after he refused to engage with police.
Nashan ended up in hospital after being stabbed
Croydon Council said that the referrals at that time were about Na-sharn’s anti-social behaviour and concerns that he was being encouraged to join a recognised gang.
”A further referral in May 2018 which was progressed to an assessment experienced significant delay in completing this assessment, and the allocated social worker left in September without completing it, they said. It was reallocated and completed in early October with recommendation to progress to a Child in Need plan.
”Although the plan was completed by the Council’s Assessment Service and subsequently transferred Na-sharn to Adolescent Services, the allocated social worker, Mr Gbassah, did not contact the family for three weeks until 7 November 2018.
On the same day Ms John had emailed police as she was worried about her son who she said was scared and at risk. The following day the Gangs Team alerted her social worker that they had received intelligence that Na-sharn was at risk from two members of a gang.
On 10 November Na-sharn, now 20, was stabbed with a small wound to his upper right arm. He would not speak to the police and Children’s Services were unable to engage him either. The police did fit a safety alarm on the property and Ms John was advised to
present herself as homeless.
However, no immediate action was taken to effectively address her crisis.
Although the social worker supported her move by providing information and confirming the family to be one at risk, the process was dogged by bureaucracy.
”The housing department explored a managed move via the Safer London Gangs Exit programme but this had to go through our tenancy team and there was a delay in getting this progressed, a response from the council read.
”On 14 January 2019 the housing department supported Ms John and her son for an urgent management transfer and offered to support them to move to a private rented property anywhere in the country.
Although the search continued the family had to remain in their property as there was no other option at this point due to Ms John’s request and the arrears”.
Second Stabbing
Na-sharn was stabbed on the second occasion on 3 March 2019 and was hospitalised on this occasion. He was discharged on 5 March and the family were placed in the Holiday Inn in Croydon.
After Ms John presented herself as homeless to Bexley who placed her in temporary accommodation in Gravesend to assess her application. She and her son, Na-sharn were rehoused in September.
”Having reviewed the case file I can see that the quality of service offered to Ms John and her son was not of a standard that I would have expected. We had an opportunity to work with Na-sharn in
December 2017 and March 2018 and could have assessed the needs of the family at either of these points.
When we did assess in 2018 there was a significant delay in completing this, and in the new social worker from Adolescent Services contacting the family for Child in Need work.
”Although the social worker assisted Ms John in her application to move in November 2018, he was not proactive in moving this forward for her. He also did not visit the family as regularly as he should have.
However, I am unable to address this with him or his manager as they have both left the authority”
The council confirmed that most of the councillors who let the family down have left the authority, the implication being an exhibition of similar levels of negligence elsewhere.
We are calling for every one of those incompetent councillors that put neglected Ms Jones to be tracked down and held to account. There must be no hiding place for them.
The Eye Of Media.Com has began contacting some of them to question them about their intolerable conduct