West Sussex social care failings contributed to teen's death

Jade Hutchings was vulnerable and has been suffering with his mental health

A teenage boy died following a catalogue of failings by social services, an inquest has heard.

Jade Hutchings was 18 when he took his own life at his home in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, in May 2020.

In a narrative verdict, Coroner Penelope Schofield concluded West Sussex County Council social services missed opportunities to prevent his death, which amounted to neglect.

Jade's mother, Beatrice Hutchings, said she felt "affirmed" by the conclusion.

After the inquest the council apologised in a statement, saying: "We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Jade's family, friends and all affected by his death."

The inquest at Parkside, Horsham, heard Jade was vulnerable and had been suffering with his mental health.

The coroner said he had been using alcohol and drugs to mask underlying issues.

She said the factors which contributed to his death included missed opportunities to get Jade to proactively engage in services to address his addiction issues.

Social services also failed to carry out a child review when Jade was approaching 18 and was about to have his child social services file closed.

'Viewed as troublesome'

Speaking after the inquest Mrs Hutchings said Jade was "loved and beautiful" with "a bright future ahead of him, with so much to look forward to".

"Jade bravely called for help but we didn't realise that he would be expected to keep knocking on a door that was repeatedly closed to him.

"He was not allowed to be a vulnerable young person. Instead he was viewed as a troublesome black male with addiction issues, who needed to take responsibility for himself.

"What this inquest has shown is that the systems in Sussex are not fit for the purpose of protecting vulnerable young lives."

In a joint statement West Sussex County Council's director of children, young people and learning services Lucy Butler and director of adults' services and health Alan Sinclair said: "We acknowledge the findings of the inquest and the coroner's conclusions, and we apologise for the level of service provided to Jade.

"We are committed to learning from Jade's case and have already made, and will continue to make, changes to ensure young people in similar vulnerable situations receive the relevant level of support and services according to their needs."

If you've been affected by self-harm, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].