Vulnerable children deliberately self-harming to stay in care, research finds

‘Many of these children and young people have experienced extreme neglect and often physical and sexual abuse … They see self-harming as a route to safety.’ Photograph: Elva Etienne/Getty Images

Some of the most vulnerable children and young people in care are deliberately self-harming to avoid being abandoned when they get better or turn 18 and face a “cliff edge” of no further support, according to research.

Abi Booth, a psychotherapist who works with children and young people, said some were in a “catastrophic situation” in which they were hurting themselves to keep their place in therapeutic facilities.