Dulnain Bridge calls for "crisis kids" ban

DEMANDS have been made that "children in crisis" be kept out of a Strathspey village amid allegations that a young child was deliberately burnt, two ducks decapitated and a dog attacked with a hammer.

Some parents in Dulnain Bridge claim they have even been left too fearful at times to allow their own children outside to play because of the youngsters in local authority care who have been coming to stay in the small village.

They have been taking part in residential programmes arranged by Cairngorm Outdoors Ltd, based in Grantown, who provide care locally for youngsters from across Scotland.

A 12 year old boy from Perth at the centre of the allegations had been on a supervised stay at a holiday home let by the company in School Place in Dulnain Bridge.

The incidents are understood to have occurred around August 19.

The allegations include a seven year old local boy being burned with a lighter, two ducks being killed and having their heads and wings taken off, two dogs being injured one suffering injuries consistent with being hit by a hammer, and ropes were also found hung up over tree branches by a den in Curr Wood.

The matter came to a head at the latest Dulnain Bridge Community Council meeting last Tuesday evening which was attended by nearly 60 residents out of a village of around 300 people.

One local, who did not want to be named, said afterwards: "This has caused a huge furore in the village and there are a lot of concerned parents. It has been horrendous – they could not let their children out to play."

"There is a lot of anger in the village that nothing has been done. They assumed that Highland Council’s social work service could deal with the situation which was not the case as it was not in their jurisdiction."

Another woman claimed: "There have been other problems in the village and these kids are out in this play park at 3am and 4am. God knows what kind of life they have had."

Cairngorm Outdoors Ltd said that they had responded as soon as the last month’s incidents were reported to them.

Company director Les Durance said: "We have been operating for approximately seven years and the organisation is a registered provider of care home facilities for youngsters aged 10 to 21 using holiday accommodation for various local authorities across Scotland.

"Obviously incidents have occurred which have incensed the local Dulnain Bridge community but it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific allegations at this particular time.

"I do regret, of course, if a child has been injured and animals have been hurt and my heart goes out to those involved but the action taken by Cairngorm Outdoors Ltd staff in moving on the individual concerned very quickly was the correct procedure to follow.

"This young person was moved on to another area more than 100 miles away within a short period of the allegations being reported to us."

He added: "The local authority Highland Council was not informed about clients staying in the area but we were not under any obligation to do so.

"However, we recognise the concerns of the community and we will be contacting the council when we have clients in the area in the future."

The firm, which employs around 20 staff both qualified and undergoing training, is understood to care for a maximum of five youngsters at any one time in different accommodation which they let in and around the strath.

Local authority placements are from several weeks to several months at a time.

Councillor Dave Fallows, (SNP), who used to live in School Place until recently, said his understanding was that this was an "unfortunate" single incident.

"This is an organisation that does a huge amount of good work and has helped many difficult children and young adults to become better citizens and achieve successful outcomes," he said.

"But one incident or not, there is always the difficulty that this itself leads to wider public knowledge of the role that the rented property plays in the efforts to help these unfortunate individuals."

He added: "Whilst I could in no way support the view that the house should not be used again, the reality, it seems to me, is that if it is, then life will be impossible for those placed there as local ill-feeling runs high."

Fellow local councillor Jaci Douglas, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said: "There was a lot of concern and anger expressed and I have a lot of sympathy with those concerns.

"There was also a lot of frustration at the processes that meant the Highland Council is unable to intervene in and oversee this sort of situation.

"Much of that responsibility and authority was passed to the Care Inspectorate – formerly the Care Commission.

"However, at the end there was agreement that people would express their concerns individually to the Care Inspectorate.

"Both myself and Jon King, Highland Council’s Head of Children’s Services, will also write and pass the concerns of the meeting onto the regulatory body."

She added that a follow up meeting would be held with residents in Dulnain Bridge to discuss the feedback.

Police, who also attended the meeting along with Mr King, said that their inquiries were continuing.

Cairngorm Outdoors Ltd state on their website their aim is to provide opportunities for young people to "enhance their self-esteem, develop greater self-confidence, and experience new challenges that take them beyond their usual comfort zone".

They say this is underpinned by "the expertise of a small group of highly qualified and experienced outdoor instructors, who have a range of technical skills as well as direct experience of working with vulnerable and troubled young people".

Activities on offer can include mountaineering, abseiling, skiing and snowboarding, kayaking mountain biking and also work experience opportunities.

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