The mum of a Co Antrim teenager has spoken of her despair as her daughter is "stuck in prison" due to a lack of care home places that would suit her complex needs.
Sophie Rodgers, 18, is currently in Hydebank women's prison on remand and while she has been deemed eligible for bail, she has not been able to leave as there has not been anywhere available where she could stay where her complex needs could be managed safely.
She has been diagnosed with learning difficulties, and her mum says that she has the mental age of a 10 or 11-year-old and does not have the capacity to look after herself.
Read more: Parents' fear for son as he is remanded in prison after seeking help for his mental health
Read more: 'My son will be forgotten by the system': NI mum shining a light on lack of post-19 SEN education
Sophie is in prison after being arrested for assault and criminal damage, however a number of these charges have been dropped. Her mum, who was the alleged victim in these cases, says that she does not want her daughter to be prosecuted and just wants her to be able to access the help and support that she needs.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Sophie's mum Jennifer said she is terrified about how this ordeal will impact her daughter and says that her mental health is deteriorating in prison and Sophie cannot fully understand why she is there. She said that she has struggled for years to get Sophie the help and support that she needs and says Northern Ireland is completely lacking the services that are needed for people with severe complex needs like her daughter.
She said: "For years, we have had difficulties accessing the correct support and treatment for Sophie, and since she has transferred from children's social care to adult, I feel that the issues have got even worse, and she can go months without ever seeing a social worker.
"When things are going well for her, Sophie is such a kind-hearted and caring girl, but due to her condition and problems with her mental health, when she does have a breakdown, she can become quite violent and lash out and doesn't quite know what she is doing.
"It is sad to say, but some of the best support we have received as a family has come from police officers who have had to come to our house over the years, particularly those in the Coleraine area when we were living there who would really fight for Sophie to get more support.
"She has been to so many different care homes and facilities over the years, but nothing has ever lasted very long, and she has even been arrested at some of them for being aggressive with staff. The past few months have been particularly difficult as she has been remanded in Hydebank on a number of occasions, and I don't think she has been out longer than five days.
"She is completely terrified and traumatised in that prison, and the impact that it is having on her mental health is shocking because she doesn't have the ability to understand why she is there and not able to leave. She has lost nearly eight stone in the past few months because she is refusing to eat and is not even allowed shoe laces because she has tried to hurt herself.
"We have been told that she could get full-time support in Ireland or England, but why should she have to go to another country in order to get the help that she needs? At the moment, we have been told that she is on a waiting list for day services to help her, and that is it.
"If she was able to get proper support, then hopefully she could live the normal life that she deserves, but she is being failed by the lack of services and investment in Northern Ireland."
A Northern Trust spokesperson said: “The Trust makes every effort to provide suitable accommodation for any young person in our care. Often these cases are complex.
“Given the current pressures on respite care and residential placements across the entire region, the Trust is limited in the types of accommodation that is available.
“We acknowledge that on some occasions, we may not meet an individual’s needs. In these circumstances we regret a better solution is not readily available at that point in time.
“The Trust remains committed to working with young people and their families to ensure they receive the appropriate care and support.”
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
English (United States) ·