A RAFT of recommendations about care for young offenders has been made by the authors of a report into the case of a 15-year-old boy found hanged in custody.

Liam McManus, aged 15, was discovered hanging from a bed sheet tied to the window of his single cell at Lancaster Farms young offenders institute two years ago.

Last month the Star reported how an inquest jury has found that “systemic failings” in care by numerous public authorities – including St Helens Council’s social services - led to the Penkford High school pupil’s death.

Now a serious case review by St Helens Safeguarding Children Board has detailed a catalogue of flaws by multiple agencies who dealt with Liam’s care.

The teenager, who had endured a troubled upbringing and gone on to be involved in “low level” crime, was in custody after breaching the terms of his licence and had only 23 days left to serve when he took his own life.

Among the report’s findings were that as Liam’s reckless behaviour intensified there was “little evidence that agencies worked collaboratively and in an organised fashion”.

There were failures to intervene early when Liam got into trouble and “inexplicably long delays” before St Helens Children’s and Young People Services (CYPS) called a ‘child in need’ meeting - despite being pressed to do so by other authorities.

The report condemns a failure to respond to Liam’s needs as his persistent offending saw him spend time in detention and custody.

And it adds that custody became a way of managing Liam’s “risk behaviour” but ultimately this “increased the risk of him harming himself”.

It also states there was an inadequate response to dealing with the teenager’s periods between custody.

The report, which refers to Liam as ‘L’, states: “The weakness was in the nature and co-ordination of discharge planning which meant L was released into an uncertain, insufficiently planned and supported environment which was probably bound to fail.”

A decision made within three minutes at a youth court to send Liam back to custody for breaching his licence was also “flawed”, states the report’s author.

Lancaster Farms, meanwhile, is criticised for failing to respond that Liam would harm himself, with poor communications, record keeping cited as flaws.

The report also questions whether a large young offender institution “could ever be a proper place for such a vulnerable child”.

There are 27 recommendations listed in the review, including that the local director of Children’s Services, Susan Richardson, examine the extent to which St Helens Council is providing an “adequate range and supply of accommodation for older children”.

It also states Justice Secretary Jack Straw should have his attention drawn to “the unsuitability of most cells at YOI for children at risk of self harm.