Vulnerable woman felt ‘safe’ at hostel – inquest
MOVE FOLLOWED AN ATTACK ON FLAT
A VULNERABLE mum who led a chaotic lifestyle was the “safest” she had ever felt in the hostel where she was staying in the days before her death.
Tina Robson, who was said to have led a chaotic lifestyle including drug and alcohol addiction, was just 35 when she died at the Bridge House Mission in Stockton in July 2020.
The inquest heard she had a cocktail of drugs in her system at the time of her death.
On the second morning of the inquest at Teesside Magistrates’ Court, evidence was given that Tina had been moved to Bridge House after her flat was attacked and the windows smashed on July 17.
The inquest heard this was the latest in a number of incidents of Tina being targeted in the community and suffering emotional abuse.
On July 14, Tina’s mum, Sue Robson, had referred her daughter to Stockton Council, and arrangements were made for social workers to hold a meeting on July 22 with Tina and her mum. Because Tina had been moved to Bridge House a few days earlier, the meeting took place there.
Lucy Weatherley, a social worker for Stockton Council, said: “At the meeting she disclosed it was the safest she had ever felt at Bridge House.
“I believed she was safe at the time in Bridge House. She did seem relatively happy, she felt safe, which was a big weight off her shoulders.”
Ms Weatherley said Tina told them she wanted to reduce her alcohol and drug taking and even mentioned joining a gym to get fit and healthy.
She said it was during this meeting that Tina disclosed trauma from childhood abuse and the social worker intended to research what support was available to help Tina address this.
Fellow social worker, Laura Able, who was also at this meeting, said Tina was asked where she would like to live, but she said she didn’t feel in the right frame of mind to make that decision at that time. She said: “I didn’t have any concerns about her, she was meeting her care needs, she was getting meals and said she only had one bedroom to keep clean. No concerns at all.”
The inquest heard that it was arranged that the social workers would have another meeting with Tina in the week beginning August 10.
The inquest also heard that Ms Able had tried to get in touch with Tina by telephone on July 24, but could not contact her.
Ciara Bartlam, solicitor representing Tina’s family, asked if, when she couldn’t get hold of Tina, it would have been a reasonable step to contact Bridge House directly to check on her, and Ms Able said it would and she didn’t know why she hadn’t.
When asked a similar question, Ms Weatherley said: “If there are any concerns Bridge House have always contacted us.”
She added: “If there was no contact we would assume there was no concerns.”
Calum Titley, who was adult safeguarding team manager for Stockton Council at the time of Tina’s death on July 26, said he had no concerns at all about the handling of the situation and that social workers “met the statutory duties placed upon them”.
He said: “We were very much at the early stages of the inquiry. The initial meeting was very much about meeting Tina. Speaking to her as an adult about what she wanted.”
The inquest continues.