‘No support received’: mother claims daughter’s death on highway highlights shortcomings of care system | Child Welfare

The mother of a teenager, Tamzin Hall, who was struck by a vehicle and killed after leaving a police car on a motorway says her daughter’s untimely death came after years of frustration and disappointment with authorities over her care. Hall, who is from Wellington, Somerset, criticizes the police, social care, and health trusts for how Tamzin, who had been diagnosed with autism, had been cared for and treated since her early teens. Tamzin had been arrested and placed in the back of a police car when she managed to leave and climb over the motorway barrier onto the southbound carriageway where she was struck. Hall, a former adult social care worker, is concerned about the portrayal of her daughter following her death, arguing that Tamzin should have been approached as someone with severe mental health issues rather than someone with social or behavioral problems. She states that Tamzin would have benefited from a specialist to handle a young woman in distress rather than calling the police. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the incident, and both officers who were present have been served with misconduct notices. The IOPC confirmed that Tamzin had removed her handcuffs but hasn’t yet explained how. Hall questions why Tamzin was placed in a car instead of a secure van and why she was not stopped from climbing into the front of the vehicle. She also questions why the officers did not activate their body cameras. Hall believes that authorities should have provided her daughter with long-term supervised mental healthcare and that none of the placements Tamzin was in were appropriate for someone with her needs. “She had trauma from losing her dad, she was carrying autism and masking it for a long time,” Hall says. After a succession of unregulated placements, Tamzin ended up in a supported living children’s home, but Hall wasn’t impressed saying it was “not the right environment” for Tamzin who needed professional mental health help. She says that the Homes2Inspire staff varied from those that had great relationships with Tamzin to those who seemed to want an “easy shift” and never spoke to Tamzin. The Homes2Inspire organization, along with Somerset council and NHS foundation trust, said they continue to support the IOPC investigation into the circumstances leading to Tamzin’s death, and they will not comment further until the process is complete.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/21/she-never-got-help-mother-says-daughter-who-died-on-motorway-was-failed-by-care-system