Drug use and mental health in a Secure Children’s Home

Abstract

PurposeSecure Children’s Homes are safe environments where many of the most troubled children in British society are resident. These children are from either a criminal background or referred for protection of themselves and others from harm. There is often a history of drug use and diagnoses of mental health problems before admission. The purpose of this paper is to examine one Secure Children’s Home to determine the level of drug use prior to admission compared to surveys of children not in this environment and to examine the veracity of the mental health diagnoses.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a retrospective examination of case notes for admissions from 2014 to 2015.FindingsThe study found much higher levels of drug use than in the general population at similar age and a wide diagnosis of mental health problems prior to admission.Research limitations/implicationsLevels of harm from traumatic childhood events need to be recognised by referrers as maybe leading to attachment disorders and not mental health problems. More research is needed into the outcomes form Secure Children’s Homes in the long term.Practical implicationsThe children in these homes do have as anticipated much higher levels of drug use than in the general population and high levels of mental health diagnoses which are not always borne out during their admission to the children’s home.Originality/valueThis is an examination of a special population of young people indicating high levels of drug use and mental health problems.