Desperate South Yorkshire mum pleads for son to be taken into care after threats to stab family in their sleep

But the woman, who lives in Rotherham and whom we have chosen not to name for her wellbeing and that of her son, claims her calls for support have fallen on deaf ears.

She said she still loves her son, who lost his father two years ago, very much.

But she fears he is a danger to himself and the rest of his family, including his sisters, and says she doesn’t know how best to help him herself.

“In November, he started to speak to us aggressively and began running away frequently, and we thought that behaviour could be due to his grief,” she said.

“He was threatening to stab his siblings, me and his stepdad in our sleep. We contacted the police and social services but all we kept hearing back was that he didn’t mean it, it was just words.

“It got really worrying when knives started going missing, and his sisters began barricading themselves in their rooms at night.”

She told how he had smashed up the house and admitted pushing her down the stairs, leaving her hospitalised.

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But she said when she reached out to social services at Rotherham Council, asking them to take him into care for his own safety and that of the rest of his family, she was told that she had parental responsibility and if he went into care his siblings would also be taken away from her.

The only support she had received from social services, she claimed, was an offer to attend a family team-building session.

‘I love my son to bits but he’s a risk to himself and to others’

“He’s out of control and I’ve asked for him to be removed from my care for his safety and ours,” she said.

“Our family’s at breaking point and I’m begging somebody to help, but all I keep hearing is that I have parental responsibility.

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“I love my son to bits but he’s a risk to himself and to others, and I have to do what is best to keep him and the rest of the family safe.

“It’s heartbreaking but I can’t keep him safe and I can’t physically and mentally deal with what’s happening. There has to be more support out there.”

Monica Green, assistant director for children’s social care at Rotherham Council, said: “We are unable to talk about the specific details of individual cases but can confirm that we have worked closely with this family over a considerable period of time and are committed to continue to do so.

“The children, young people and families we work with are seen and assessed by professionals, whose primary aim is always to make decisions which help them to be resilient, successful and safe.

“We know that most children, if given the right support to remain in their families, can achieve this. If that is not possible, we will not hesitate to intervene and take other steps, but only when it is in the best interests of the child, young person and family.”