Boy, 13, ‘illegally sent by social services to live in a caravan 200 miles from his family – where he couldn’t even use the toilet due to faulty plumbing’
A 13-year-old boy was illegally sent to live in a caravan nearly 200 miles away from his family, it has been claimed.
The child was allegedly transported from the south-west of England to a faraway campsite in the north-west – where he couldn’t even use the toilet due to faulty plumbing, according to his grandmother.
The young boy became the latest in a string of children housed in unregistered properties due to accommodation shortages – with others put in narrowboats and even tents.
The child’s transition into the care system started when his grandmother, who was his guardian since he was a baby, became ill, The Mirror reported.
He was ordered to leave a private children’s home for being disruptive – before being sent 198 miles to a caravan park with just seven days’ notice.
The young boy became the latest in a string of children housed in unregistered properties due to accommodation shortages (File image)
There he was watched over by agency carers who slept on a sofa-bed in the trailer, reports claimed.
The child’s grandmother said the boy could not even use the caravan’s toilet or shower, instead forced to use a nearby wash block because of faulty plumbing – a claim disputed by its owners.
The grandmother said: ‘I’ve been so worried. He was sent up there on his own to this campsite and there are no other children around.
‘They’ve said that if he’s lucky he might get moved to a narrowboat. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It’s like he’s just been forgotten about.’
She added: ‘He was crying and crying and I couldn’t even cuddle him. It was just terrible, absolutely terrible. He was so distressed. We both were.’
It has been illegal for social services to house under-16s anywhere but a registered care home since 2021.
The child is under the responsibility of Bristol City Council which called his move to a caravan a ‘short respite arrangement’.
The council took the boy out of the caravan site when his case was investigated, 15 days after he moved in.
The 13-year-old was put in a £30,000 Swift Quattro camper by a private contractor named Bear Care Services. The company currently has 12 in its care.
The firm insisted it was not breaking the law, adding placements in mobile homes or barges do not need to be Ofsted registered.
The Department for Education said: ‘Children under the age of 16 must be placed in a children’s home that is registered and inspected by Ofsted, or with a foster carer. We have banned the placement of children in unregulated or independent provision because it cannot meet their needs.’
MailOnline has contacted Bear Care Services for comment.
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