...was then accommodated with foster carers with the parents’ agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and is safe and well. The parents were subsequently arrested although a police investigation was unable to establish a burden of proof sufficient to meet the thresholds for a criminal prosecution. The Serious Case Review commissioned by NeathPortTalbotSafeguardingChildrenBoard recommended
This executive summary reports the serious case of review relating to Child EQ who was identified as being the victim of fabricated or induced illness. EQ was the first born child of a mother aged 20 years and a father aged 24 years. The mother was reported to be a childcare worker. Between the ages of 3 and 9½ months, Child EQ had 25 separate medical assessments including 8 admissions to hospital and 7 Out of Hours emergencies including presentations at A and E. The presenting concerns included vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rashes, possible lactose intolerance, wheezes and coughs, possible asthma. At 9 ½ months Child EQ was taken to hospital following a convulsion. A toxicology report revealed the presence of prescription medication, which would be for adult use only. Child EQ was then accommodated with foster carers with the parents’ agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and is safe and well. The parents were subsequently arrested although a police investigation was unable to establish a burden of proof sufficient to meet the thresholds for a criminal prosecution. The Serious Case Review commissioned by NeathPortTalbotSafeguardingChildrenBoard recommended that the lessons from this case be disseminated to all staff through single and multi agency training on the issues involved with fabricated illness.
Subject terms:
parents, serious case reviews, babies, fabricated or induced illness;