Petition for poor little Arthur

So many red flags and nothing was done. What kind of people make the laws that say the right to a family life is more important than a child’s right to be safe? To live? The right to life is everything. It’s the biggest human right of all.

I’ve already signed it. I believe life should mean life not 15yrs out on good behaviour. Take a life you lose yours.

Tustin was known to Social Services already so that was surely another warning bell?

maddyone

So many red flags and nothing was done. What kind of people make the laws that say the right to a family life is more important than a child’s right to be safe? To live? The right to life is everything. It’s the biggest human right of all.

The right to life is everything. It’s the biggest human right of all.

Hear hear.

Nannashirlz, murder carries a mandatory life sentence and the judge decides how much of the rest of their life a person must spend in prison before being considered for (not necessarily granted) parole. There are very few prisoners serving a whole life tariff. I’m not saying Tustin shouldn’t be one of them, but murders are committed in so many different circumstances (some by a wife who we might say had been driven to it) so we should never in this country deliver a ‘life means life’ mandate to the judiciary.

maddyone

So many red flags and nothing was done. What kind of people make the laws that say the right to a family life is more important than a child’s right to be safe? To live? The right to life is everything. It’s the biggest human right of all.

That should be enshrined in law. maddyone I totally agree and share your angry at the way this wee innocent child was let down.

Plus he had his extended family ready and willing to take him but the sw saw nothing wrong. That bruise on his shoulder was big and it would have taken a hard blow from something to have caused it. The sw didn’t see it because she only lifted his t shirt. She would have had to remove it to examine that.

Nobody on here is baying for the blood of sw’s. Mistakes have been made and a child has been tortured and killed under the nose of SS and the police - again. Lessons still haven’t been learned and it’s got to change.

We don’t actually know when the social workers visited or how long it was after the grandmother reported the bruise. It’s possible that if it was some time later the large bruise may have faded and been barely noticeable. We don’t know whether the social worker lifted his tee shirt or asked for it to be removed. We only know what is reported which may or may not be accurate. I’m sure the serious case review will establish the facts of this and then the mistakes that were made will be a lot clearer.

When I see a new person in my work, I have to fill in a body map, showing old and new marks, bruises and sores, and the colour and size of them.
I also update them regularly to ensure that they are healing/fading or otherwise.
Even a faded bruise should logged.

NightOwl the parents had been visited about two months before the child died in the home at the hands of his stepmother. I do not know when the grand-mother reported the bruise or what action was taken. It seems to me that concerns had been raised and the red flags were showing.

I am not sure that the review will establish all facts !!!!!! just like the reviews over Baby P and Victoria Climbie much gets
said only how much action is taken. All these agencies are paid to care and safeguard these vulnerable children that's their job they know what they will be dealing with how many more children will suffer and die. From the infamous case of Maria Colwell it was said something like that must never be allowed to happen again bit it has and it does time and time again.

I’m not trying to make excuses by the way, just saying that it’s important to be sure of the facts before jumping to conclusions.

I have read many reports, and they make very painful reading. There are often aspects that are different to what has been generally reported.

3nanny6 like you, I despair that these tragedies keep happening. But I don’t agree that the reviews don’t establish the facts. You may not agree with the findings or recommendations but they do set out the facts of the case very clearly in my opinion.

For what it’s worth, I think the Laming report into Victoria Climbie’s death was seriously flawed in its recommendations and has set the scene for many of the subsequent tragedies, but that’s only my opinion and this is not the place to go into that.

NightOwl you are right about the report on the Victoria Climbie death although I am not sure what one it was I read.
I could not even go into some of the things I read about the environment in which she was kept and her suffering far too harrowing to speak of on here. One thing I read she had been seen at hospital on numerous occasions and doctors had sent
referrals to S.S.. Apparently they had been followed up only once again no action was taken.
In my opinion the unheard of voice of suffering children goes on.

If Arthur had been in school the bruise would have been seen during PE when the children undress, and it would have been documented on a body map, and signed and dated. Other bruises would have been documented in the same way. That way social workers would not have been able to deny there were bruises.
Children need to be in school for many reasons, but safeguarding is one of the most important reasons for vulnerable children.

Night owl, thanks for your well informed, calm voice. I’with you on not diminishing the suffering this poor child was subjected to before he was murdered. We need a clear timeline and evaluation before reaching final conclusions

This report shows the picture and the severity of the bruise that was shown to social services.

youtu.be/ZFlqi0JtLlM

Thank you Iam. It’s hard to be objective in the face of such a terrible situation. I’m the first to criticise some of what seems to be normal practice in social work these days, but I hope I will always be fair in listening to all sides of a situation before jumping to conclusions.

I think you and I have both been in social work long enough to remember when parents’ rights were not considered. Children spoken to in school without their parents’ knowledge, child protection case conferences held without parents present, applications for emergency court orders also without parents present or having any legal representation. Some would seem to suggest we should return to those days. But then there would be an onslaught of complaints from the same people when it was their families being treated in this way, their grandchildren spoken to in school, and there would be cries of oppressive and power hungry social workers who of course had got it all wrong. And so the circle keeps turning…

I’m getting too old for this game.

I am too old night owl, 9 years retired, 7 since I had front line responsibility.
I remember when parents were first invited to c.p. conferences, the fear that the conference would be less effective. The surprise and positive feelings when the opposite happened. Parental involvement has proved positive.
It would be a retrograde step to diminish it.
My first manager post qualification in 1981 explained to me the pendulum that swings in favour of immediate action after a tragic child death, to no action after social workers were found to have ‘over reacted’

This child was badly let down by the agency’s that should have been looking after him and others like him.

I have family in the police and in teaching and they and their colleagues are all very aware of the difficulties facing them daily.

As they said about this child’s death shout shout shout if you think somethings wrong with a child til you get some action.

The bruise on that poor child’s shoulder was ignored. I call that neglect.

I think social workers do try to do their best, but unfortunately with pressure of work and the thinking that the family unit is more important than the individual child, it is difficult for them. Teachers only have to consider the child, social workers have to consider the family unit by law. I think the law needs to be changed to be honest. As an ex teacher I think the child should be first, front, and foremost. Always. I have an adopted grandchild who was terribly neglected. Thankfully he was not hurt, but neglect has some awful repercussions. His foster family started the process and his adoptive family carried and did more. He’s a lovely nine year old now. But he was left for over a year in a situation that was sheer neglect, with health visitors and social workers visiting very regularly, trying to change things, but it never happened. He was on the at risk register before he was born. But he is very loved and cared for now.
I maintain that school is the safest place for vulnerable children and that Arthur may have not died if he had been in school. I don’t understand why Arthur was not in school as a vulnerable child when his teacher had raised concerns about him. As a teacher I would have been asking questions about why he was not in school.

Can we not think of the pain of the social workers, police etc
Our distress hearing his cries, seeing him trying to lift the duvet, they must surely be distraught.

Anniebach. I find your comment rather shocking. I think the majority of us are thinking of Arthur’s pain and despair. Think of the pain of the social workers and police? Seriously? Sorry that’s just no.

I can understand what Annie says about the police, who as far as I know weren’t involved until the 999 call when Arthur was dead. A horrific situation for them. The social workers I can’t find sympathy for as they could have prevented his death and they must bear that cross.

The police were involved as the grandmother and uncle alerted them but were warned they'd be charged with harassment as Hughes complained about them. Allegedly.
They must have felt helpless and desperate.

And yet the child protection officer interviewed this morning talked about the police and social services being a way to make sure a child being abused is highlighted in the right way.