A teenager who took his own life following the death of his mother was "failed" by social services, an inquest has heard.

Luke Fisher-Muir died on January 15, 2022, after being found hanging in his Hellesdon home, aged just 17.

During an inquest into his death, his grandmother described feeling let down by the support he had been offered throughout his life - and particularly in his final months.

Dorothy Cooper said: "Children's social services have failed in their duty of care.

"It was obvious he was struggling with acute mental trauma following the death of his mother."

The inquest heard that Luke suffered from severe social anxiety due to living a sheltered life which saw him rarely leave his bedroom and being unable to attend mainstream school.

It heard the teen had lived in squalid conditions and that his mother, Kirsty Fisher-Muir was the only contact in his mobile phone.

After his mother's sudden, unexplained death in November 2021, Luke continued to struggle and his mental health deteriorated.

But the court heard the family faced longstanding struggles in getting support, particularly for Luke, in the years leading up to his death.

Mandy Marriott-Sims, partner and community focus manager at Norfolk County Council, told the court that care would often be disrupted by Luke's mother withdrawing consent for social care.

She added that social services did therefore not have sufficient information or evidence of neglect to escalate his case without parental consent.

Ms Marriott-Sims said: "We can not just work on suspicions." 

Yvonne Blake, area coroner for Norfolk, questioned the limitations parental consent can place on investigating the circumstances of vulnerable families.

She said: "To go without parental consent you need to have evidence, but how do you get that evidence if you cannot look beyond that?"

Ms Marriot-Sims said: "It is incredibly difficult."

The inquest continues.

If you need help and support, call NHS 111 and select option 2 or the Samaritans on 116 123. Both services are available 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can also download the Stay Alive app on Apple & Android.