Many young people with learning difficulties and/or autism are having their human rights breached by their detention in mental health hospitals, a report has found.
The British Parliament’s Joint Committee On Human Rights looked into the situation with children who are detained in Assessment and Treatment Units (ATUs). These are specialist units which are often situated within larger mental health hospitals.
Their findings condemn the “horrific reality” of conditions and treatment under which many young people with learning disabilities and autism are detained in mental health hospitals, “inflicting terrible suffering on those detained and causing anguish to their distraught families”.
The report calls for:
The establishment of a Number 10 unit, with Cabinet level leadership, to urgently drive forward reform to minimise the number of young people with learning disabilities and/or autism who are detained and to safeguard their human rights.
Changes to the law to create legal duties on Clinical Commission Groups and local authorities to ensure the right services are available in the community and narrow the Mental Health Act criteria to avoid inappropriate detention.
Families of those with learning disabilities and/or autism must be recognised as human rights defenders, and other than in exceptional circumstances, be fully involved in all relevant discussions and decisions.
The report also states that a substantive reform of the Care Quality Commission’s approach and processes is essential. This should include unannounced inspections taking place at weekends and in the late evening, and the use, where appropriate, of covert surveillance methods to better inform inspection findings.
You can read the full report and/or an explainer version.
