A 13-year-old boy who took his own life suffered from 'acute school phobia', a safeguarding review has found. The Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership report into the death of the boy, referred to as 'Child BJ', said his literacy level was 'so much lower than it should be, possibly five years lower', which contributed to his anxiety about school.
The review found that an early help assessment had left schools to manage by themselves, which in this case was 'not appropriate'. It also noted that agencies and professionals did not always know what help was available when mental health issues were identified, and recommended they work collaboratively to make the best use of resources.
The night before he died, his parents said he had 'seemed his usual happy self'. However, the report found that for a number of years he had displayed physical and verbal aggression to himself and others, including self-harm and suicidal ideation. He had previously been excluded from school and was in the process of being moved to another.
The report concluded that Child BJ suffered from 'low self-esteem in school' and that falling behind with his learning 'compounded this feeling for him'. It said he suffered from 'acute school phobia', also known as emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA). The charity Young Minds said EBSA could be caused by feeling overwhelmed with anxiety about schoolwork, relationships, or bullying.
Among five recommendations, the report said the safeguarding partnership should seek assurance that the child's voice is captured in cases of acute emotional distress, including those self-harming and expressing suicide ideation, and that the child is at the centre of all planning. The partnership said it was committed to supporting suicide prevention work across Northamptonshire, including developing face-to-face training for all colleagues working within safeguarding, including all schools.
