Children in Care Allegedly 'Self-Harm to Stay Safe' as Private Firms Earn £20,000 a Week

Some vulnerable children in England's care system are deliberately self-harming because they believe becoming more unwell is the only way to remain in therapeutic settings and avoid losing support, according to psychotherapist Abi Booth.

Booth, who works with children and young people, described the situation as 'catastrophic', saying some care-experienced young people fear being left without adequate protection when they recover or turn 18.

Her concerns come as councils often outsource complex cases to private care providers, which can charge £20,000 ($27,183) or more a week for individual placements. Booth argues that this can make highly vulnerable children financially valuable to providers because of the cost of their care.

Self-Harm Linked To Fear of Losing Support

Booth said some young people who have experienced severe neglect and abuse have come to view self-harm as a way to remain in care and protect themselves from losing support.

She said some become trapped in a cycle in which they believe they must become more unwell to remain in therapeutic facilities. Booth stressed that this does not apply to everyone in care, but said she feared the number affected was growing.

Her in-depth research examined 12 children and young people. She said some placed in psychiatric inpatient units also learned more severe or sophisticated methods of self-harm and suicide attempts from other patients.

Booth said councils often outsource complex cases to private companies, creating a system in which children with higher levels of risk can become more financially valuable to providers. She described vulnerable young people as a form of 'currency' for companies because placement costs increase with the level of risk and care required.

Her research does not establish that financial incentives directly cause children to self-harm. Her comments instead describe a pattern she said she has observed through her professional work and research.

Parliament Warns of 'Cliff Edge'

The concerns come alongside a report from Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), which concluded that accommodation for children in social care is 'broken'.

The committee said a lack of suitable placements has left some children in expensive and inadequate accommodation, sometimes far from their families and support networks. It called for the Government to urgently end the use of unregulated spaces.

The report also highlighted the 'cliff edge' faced by care leavers as they reach adulthood and existing support comes to an end. It recommended considering longer-term support in areas including housing, health, education and employment.

Around 400,000 children are in the social care system in England, with nearly 84,000 looked after by local authorities, according to the committee.

JCHR chair Lord David Alton said society had a 'moral duty' to uphold the human rights of children and young people, adding that the system was failing to prevent people from 'falling through the gaps'.

Government Pledges £25m Support

The Department for Education said the Government is investing £25 million ($33.98 million) to help more care leavers access housing with support attached. It also said action was being taken against illegal and unregistered children's homes.

The JCHR has called for greater local authority capacity, tougher inspections and action to address delays in registering children's homes.

The committee's recommendations are intended to address the wider accommodation problems affecting children in care and care leavers, while Booth is calling for changes to ensure vulnerable young people do not feel they must become more unwell to remain safe.