HS1924: A 10-year-old boy with Type 1 diabetes mellitus has lived in residential care for most: Mental Health

A 10-year-old boy with Type 1 diabetes mellitus has lived in residential care for most of his life after his parents were killed in a car crash when he was 3 years old. He has been in short-term foster care several times but found it difficult to settle in any of the placements.

His best friend has recently left the residential home after being adopted and a number of new children have just moved in from a home that recently closed due to financial cutbacks in social care funding. His diabetes means that he is sometimes unable to join in with some activities for example eating sweets and drinking sugared drinks. He is being made fun of and at times being bullied for not being “the same as us” or not being “normal”.