A vulnerable 17-year-old who was housed in a tent by a council became emaciated and was detained in a psychiatric hospital, the local government watchdog has said.

An investigation by the local government and social care ombudsman found there had been “a long list of failures” by Cornwall council over how it responded to the boy’s situation, which had “dreadful consequences”.

The teenager, who cannot be named, spent five weeks in a tent over summer 2016, four weeks in a static caravan and several nights sleeping rough after approaching Cornwall council for help.

At one point the council even helped the boy pitch a tent, and the ombudsman said that it provided accommodation that was inappropriate and did not do enough to protect the 17-year-old from sexual exploitation or ill health.

It ordered the council to pay £2,500 to the now young man and to pay £1,500 to his mother for the severe distress and frustration it caused. It also recommended that the council review its policies and draw up an action plan to ensure there is sufficient accommodation for homeless young people.

Evidence suggests the council tried to place responsibility for the situation on the boy, the watchdog said, rather than provide the right support to a vulnerable child who was suffering from drug addiction and mental health problems.

The ombudsman, Michael King, said: “There is a long list of failures in this case which had dreadful consequences … But the starkest, and most worrying, element is the attitude shown towards his situation.”

He added: “It is true the boy in this case showed difficult behaviours. However, this is exactly why the Children Act exists to support the most vulnerable in our society and councils should not apportion blame when help is needed.”

The teenager had a history of cannabis use and had previously noted concerns about his mental health.

After having been arrested for drug dealing, the teenager was not allowed to return to live with his father so the council housed him in supported accommodation in another town. He was evicted from this placement for breaching conditions of his stay and became homeless.

The boy refused an offer from the council of supported accommodation 30 miles away from the area he knew. A social worker then bought the boy a tent and helped him pitch it. Council records show the teenager’s mother, who lived a long way from Cornwall and could not accommodate her son because of the risk to other children she fostered, challenged the decision but the local authority said no options were available as the boy would not come into care.

Over the coming weeks the boy asked the council for accommodation on a number of occasions. It also received two calls about his welfare, once after he had been found in an abandoned building having set fire to a mattress to keep warm. Case records show the council said if he could show he wanted to make some changes, his options would increase. At one point the council bought the boy a new tent after the first one started leaking.

Around five weeks after first being given a tent, the council decided the boy was at such risk that it moved him to a static caravan on a different site. The following week he reported being sexually assaulted by a man in a car. There is no evidence the council considered whether to take any action, under section 47 of the Children Act, to safeguard him following this report.

Around a month later, the council moved the boy to bed and breakfast accommodation, which is not suitable for a child under government guidance. He was then moved to appropriate supported accommodation. He lost a great deal of weight and two weeks later he was detained under the Mental Health Act. This lasted for 11 months.

The teenager told the BBC: “It was a pretty traumatic experience for me because I’ve always lived in a house somewhere. They should have done so much more. They should have put me somewhere with a roof over my head.”



He said that one night while he was in his tent there was a violent storm. “It was real bad. I thought my tent was going to go over so I was constantly in my tent … Loads of wind, torrential rain and all my stuff got wet. Everything was wet. Even I was wet when I woke up,” he said.



His mother travelled down to Cornwall at regular intervals to see her son, saying: “I felt ill all the time, tired, exhausted emotionally drained, just barely able to function really.”

Cornwall council said: “Cornwall council accepts the report of the ombudsman and its findings. There were several shortfalls in the response of the Council to the situation [the teenager] Mr B was in between August – October 2016. We have apologised to Mr B and to his mother for those failings.

“Although this was a unique and exceptional case, we will learn from it and do everything we can to prevent it ever happening again.”