ABSTRACT

Emily was extremely angry. She had been told that she had to leave the residential summer camp programme she was attending for girls with insulin-dependent diabetes and return home. This decision had been made as a last resort, owing to fears for her safety. In the past forty-eight hours she had attempted to run away fourteen times, and most recently had been found by the camp lake, looking like she was about to jump in. Emily could not swim. She was 12. I was 24. It was my fifth summer working at the camp. Due to the resignation of the Resident Director, I had suddenly become accountable for over a hundred girls and sixty-five staff, and was thus responsible for ensuring Emily’s safety. Other staff members and I had spoken with her numerous times over the past two days. She had repeatedly said she enjoyed camp and had made lots of friends. She could not explain why she was running away and she had no idea where she was running to. She explained that she was currently staying with foster carers because of her diabetes and had been told that if she completed camp successfully, she would be allowed to go to live with her mum. She said that this was what she wanted. She had completed nine days at camp and had only three left when her behaviour changed. We had tried various techniques to help Emily to stay, but to no avail. Her behaviour began to escalate and she was increasingly placing herself at risk. Thus it appeared that the only decision was for her to return to her carers, a decision which they supported. Emily was not happy with this and grew increasingly angry while waiting for them to arrive. Screaming that she wanted to be left alone, she attempted to run out of the campsite into the dark country lanes yet again. Hitting, kicking and spitting at staff

members who attempted to bring her back, she was eventually restrained until she calmed down. The foster carers arrived and took a calm and apologetic Emily home. A call to them the following day revealed that Emily had already been transferred to an inpatient psychiatric hospital at her social worker’s behest. A brief conversation with the social worker revealed that the decision for her to attend hospital had been part of Emily’s care plan should she be unable to sustain the two-week programme; we had not been informed of this ‘owing to confidentiality’. All she would tell me was that Emily would be safe and well cared for.