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Camden New Journal - by ROISIN GADELRAB and RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 16 August 2007

The council says…

THE New Journal asked Camden Council how clued up they were about Salma’s apparently miserable stay in Derbyshire. This is how it responded.

CNJ: How many times was the Adventure Care Ltd centre visited by council officers or councillors? How aware was the council of what Salma was up to at the centre?

CAMDEN COUNCIL: All of our looked after children are visited regularly, whether they are in foster families or in residential care.

CNJ: There are claims she was lonely but banned from making friends with another child at the centre, were you aware of this? Did you know of Salma’s attempt to overdose while at the centre? What action was taken after this?

CAMDEN COUNCIL : A thorough investigation into Salma’s care is being carried out by the council along with an independent review of her case. We will decide if any further action needs to be taken once we have the findings of those reports. In the meantime we are keeping the family fully informed and will respect Salma’s privacy by not discussing specific details of her care.

CNJ: Did Camden produce reports about the centre?

CAMDEN COUNCIL: All private and voluntary units used by Camden are approved as appropriate providers by Ofsted, the organisation that inspects and improves residential units. This is a very supervised area, the location of our placements is a reported figure to Ofsted and DCSF.

CNJ: Is it appropriate to put children from inner-city backgrounds in the middle of the countryside away from their friends and family?

CAMDEN COUNCIL: Salma attended The Stables [Adventure Care] residential activity centre as part of the programme of care put in place for her. We always try to ensure that children are placed in or as near to London and in foster care as far as possible and almost three quarters are placed within 20 miles of Camden. However, there are times when it is important for a child to be placed further away in very specialist care as some children need one to one or even two to one care as their needs are so great. Our staff work very hard to both ensure that children are placed with carers with the right skills and facilities and in the most appropriate location.

See also
Silence on adventure centre
Salma's final days
A tragic accident in tourist beauty spot

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