A MOTHER has made the heart-wrenching plea to social services bosses to find a new family for her young son who has serious behavioural problems.

Becky Knight is terrified for the safety of her daughter Charlotte, aged eight, who is frequently attacked by her brother Ben.

Ben, nine, suffers from an attachment disorder -- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) -- and has a provisional diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome.

His anger is often targeted at Charlotte, who has a large lock fitted to her bedroom door to help keep her safe.

Until January last year Ben had a specially--trained family to look after him during the week.

But social services closed his case because they believed he no longer fitted the criteria for this kind of residential help.

Now Becky, of Glenmore, Clayton-le-Woods, says he needs a new family before he causes serious harm to his sister.

Ben's father, Martin Knight, is the only Lancashire police officer currently serving in Kosovo and ex-police woman Becky said it was difficult to cope alone.

"We love him so much, but in the past couple of years his behaviour has worsened as he has grown stronger," she said.

"He is a lovely child when he's with strangers, but because of his attachment disorder he is very jealous of the attention I give to Charlotte and is extremely violent towards us.

"He has even threatened me with a knife and took a sledgehammer to a padlock I put on his bike when he was misbehaving.

"Social services have re-opened Ben's case, but at the moment they say he's not eligible for a family to look after him."

She added: "He's even written letters himself begging for help because he thinks he's going to hurt me or Charlotte.

"Ben really wants to go to another family during the week because he really calms down and enjoys coming home for the weekends.

"I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall because until last week social services wouldn't even tell me the criteria that Ben had to meet before he was given a family."

Ben, who was prescribed mood--calming drug Ritolin at the age of just four, is currently being assessed by education bosses for his eligibility to a attend a special school.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Social Services said: "We are in constant dialogue with Mrs Knight and Ben and are working through a number of processes to try and find some resolutions to this in the future."

But Becky believes her son needs urgent help. "If something isn't done for Ben soon he's just heading for the juvenile justice system or the mental health system," she said.

"Does one of us have to end up in hospital before someone will help me?"