Emma

Emma is a white British young woman who has lived in Suffolk all her life. She has always lived in areas of deprivation. Emma became dependent on alcohol from the age of 13 and has used cannabis for some time. There was also a theme of alcohol dependency within Emma’s immediate family which resulted in a turbulent household that featured neglect and verbal/physical altercations between family members. Use of alcohol was part and parcel of family functioning throughout Emma’s life, and her parents have variably supplied Emma with alcohol. 

Emma was ‘looked after’ by Suffolk County Council for a brief period in her early childhood although mainly lived with both parents, until they separated. In her teenage years, she spent a short period in the care of her father but mainly lived with her mother. 

Police records show 66 police investigations linked to Emma (31 from the age of 13yrs). These reports largely related to ‘child protection investigations’ when Emma was reported as missing, alleged assaults by Emma of her family & ‘friends’, criminal damage & an allegation of a sexual assault. These reports frequently described Emma as ‘intoxicated’. Emma’s experience of education was turbulent and fragmented – towards the end of her secondary education she attended a pupil referral unit (PRU). Despite persistent & consistent attempts the PRU struggled to engage Emma, and she left school without any qualifications. 

Emma did not speak to any professionals about her hopes, dreams or aspirations for the future. She rarely remembered interventions by professionals or events in her life. There were concerns about the many risks to Emma because of her alcohol use – alcohol use by her family, by household visitors and family friends. There were concerns about her ‘sexual relationships’ with adults but these incidents were either not reported or when reported, did not lead to her future protection. 

Emma now lives in a family that includes a mother figure (Ashleigh-Mary) and her older children. Emma has stopped drinking alcohol to excess and is healing. In this place of safety, at the time of this review, Emma frankly spoke about her experiences. Her voice is represented in this report. It is important to note that the fullness of her voice and experiences were not known to professionals at the time they were working with her.