A DISTRAUGHT dad’s claims that his daughter was able to get hold of a knife and access a teenage murderer’s room at a care facility being probed by watchdogs.

The man, who we can’t name for legal reasons has made a string of allegations against St Mary’s Kenmure in Bishopbriggs, a service facility for children and young people requiring highly specialist support and intervention.

These are now under investigation by the Care Inspectorate, who already issued the facility with an Improvement Notice earlier this month.

It said that there was a serious risk to the life, health and wellbeing of those currently using the service if more young people were admitted.

The man says that his daughter, who was admitted to St Mary’s under a medical order, saw valuable personal possession go missing and she was subjected to repeated instances of verbal abuse by staff, who he claims are working 16-hour shifts, leaving them unable to properly do their jobs.

He exclusively told the Glasgow Times: “I understand a staff member was suspended after expensive jewellery and clothing belonging to my daughter went missing. We still have no answers as to where the possessions, including a £200 Gucci necklace, are now, despite several emails to management.

“Physical possessions are one thing, but I was much more concerned when I learned that my daughter was able to unlock her room door and access an unmanned staff office, where she was able to get hold of a knife. Given her problems, this could have had extremely serious consequences.”

(Image: Gordon Terris) The child’s father added: “Staff are being asked to do up to 16-hour shifts and there are simply not enough of them employed within the facility. The lack of manpower is putting vulnerable teens at risk.”

He also says that his daughter was able to gain entry to a teenage murderer's room prior to her being moved to another facility around three weeks ago at his request.

This new string of serious allegations are being looked into by the Care Inspectorate, who have a condition in place on the facility’s service registration preventing any new admissions from taking place. A spokesperson said: “We have done this because there is a serious risk to the life, health or wellbeing of people currently using the service if more young people were admitted to the service at this time."

The Care Inspectorate went on to say that it is working with partners, including the Scottish Government, to ensure that young people living there experience appropriate care during this time.

The Glasgow Times previously reported that a probe was launched into practices at St Mary’s by the watchdog amid allegations that a teenage girl had her underwear forcibly removed by staff. Relatives of the girl claimed that the vulnerable 15-year-old was left ‘shaken and distressed’ by the incident, however, staff claimed they were forced to intervene due to ‘physical hygiene and self-care issues’.

A spokesperson for St Mary’s Kenmure, said: “We have been made aware of complaints relating to the care of a young person who was resident at St Mary’s. We cannot comment on the individual case of any child who has been placed at St Mary’s for obvious legal and privacy reasons. In this case, the issue has been passed to the Care Inspectorate, with whom we are in dialogue to determine the circumstances and veracity of the complaints. In the meantime, St Mary’s remains committed to providing the best possible care for young people placed here.”

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate added "We take all concerns raised with us seriously and consider all information given to us carefully. If we uphold a complaint we publish the outcome on our website."