National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Publication year:
2014
Pagination:
69
A serious case review of Child D, who was just under three weeks old when admitted to hospital with multiple serious injuries in October 2012. Medical advice was that these injuries had been inflicted. Child D’s mother, a woman in her early twenties, was arrested. She was known to adults’ and children’s social care services and to a range of health services, before and during her pregnancy
(Edited publisher abstract)
A serious case review of Child D, who was just under three weeks old when admitted to hospital with multiple serious injuries in October 2012. Medical advice was that these injuries had been inflicted. Child D’s mother, a woman in her early twenties, was arrested. She was known to adults’ and children’s social care services and to a range of health services, before and during her pregnancy and following the birth of Child D. The review found that the agencies had a great deal of information about Ms E. There were numerous indications that she would find it difficult to cope with the responsibilities of being a new parent. Those signs can be found in her childhood, when she had been abused and exploited, her mental health, her learning disability and her continuing isolation and lack of reliable support. The review highlights that the fundamental failing was that agencies did not work together and despite the number of services involved there was never any inter-agency meeting. Maternity services had the greatest amount of direct contact with Ms E but made little positive use of that contact. Given that the assessment of her learning disabilities was inconclusive, no agency gave adequate weight to the implications of her pregnancy. The report concludes that while the consequences of this in this case were extreme it will not be unusual that vulnerable young people fall between various sets of eligibility criteria and are denied critical support and services.
(Edited publisher abstract)