Two year old starves to death

This too.

I wonder how many cases the social worker was dealing with? It's quite usual now for them to be handling double the number of cases they used to. So had she slotted in another visit to this family another child would be deprived of help.
Social services are massively underfunded and social workers are trying to fill a widening gap.

There was a similar case a while ago when a single mother died suddenly and was eventually found with her dead child.

I suppose this is something that could happen but rarely.

However, this child was already known to Social Services

There seems to be a lot going on here. Why had the father got custody of the child when he was in poor health? I read that the home was being visited every week so why wasn't a huge red flag raised when the social worker couldn't gain entry. Why had the mother left her two year old without visiting for days? Would it have helped if the father had had a personal alarm? And where were the neighbours? Surely the poor child must have been crying at the beginning?

There was a similar case a while ago when a single mother died suddenly and was eventually found with her dead child. In her case I don't think anyone was aware of her situation and she wasn't found until people realised they hadn't seen her.

Lessons are NEVER learnt. Time after time.

This

I really feel for Social workers picking up the pieces of such useless parents.

And this!

It seems so unfair that lovely people who would make excellent parents are unable to conceive a child of their own and are unable to adopt babies because the poor babies must stay put with feckless, inadequate, often drug or alcohol addicted birth parents.

🤬

Why are you blaming the social worker? Did you read the article-she did contact the police twice & it was her who got the key to enter the property.

It’s the mother who should be blamed. Why did she leave her baby for so long without contact. I really feel for Social workers picking up the pieces of such useless parents.

Agree GSM the 5 days before visiting the 3rd time

It’s not just about money. Why didn’t the SW chase up the police? Why did she wait another five days before visiting for the third time? Why didn’t she obtain access via the landlady earlier than 9 January?

This is so heartbreaking . I can scarcely take it I. 😢

henetha

Absolutely heartbreaking event. That poor little boy. How can these things happen in UK 2024..

In a word. Money, and all that spreads out from the lack of it.

And it happens again.
Social services are under so much pressure but apparently the social worker did tell the police. Why didn’t they go round and break in?
Lessons are NEVER learnt. Time after time.

woodenspoon

Having read comments from people in the newspapers who have seen her Facebook messages and posts apparently they reveal a lot about this ‘mother’ that has not yet been reported in the press. Poor little boy should have been adopted at birth.

Poor little boy should have been adopted at birth.

In hindsight, so should many others.

I'm sure there are parents who live chaotic lives who can be helped because they have a genuine love for their children, but I'm equally sure that there are those parents who should never be allowed to be in charge of the children they conceive.

This mother appears to be more enraged about social workers 'not doing their job' rather than grieving for the loss of her baby in such dreadful circumstances.

Absolutely heartbreaking event. That poor little boy. How can these things happen in UK 2024..

Another problem is the ‘working together’ model developed seems to have been diminishing as all services get overwhelmed and invoke inexperienced staff.

Years of underfunding have made it unworkable.

It seems we are in a parlous state. Mental Health services, social care, dentistry, the NHS, the police force - all stretched to the limits of feasibility.

We are not a poor country - why are we allowing this?

Pantglas2

So very sad and it appears that the social worker informed the Police after her first visit but they didn’t do anything- no doubt it will all come out at the inquest.

Several years ago an internet chum of mine didn’t post for a while. Other internet chums, who knew him far better than I did and knew him in the real world too contacted the police but they refused to go to his house as they said he probably didn’t want to chat with anyone. Even though they kept saying it was totally out of character they still wouldn’t visit him. He had died of a heart attack. That poor little boy

Yes, I know. 😊

You are right GSM, it was a period of 8 days, not five.

I agree with your point about the SW requesting feedback from the police, or preferably asking for an immediate visit while she was still at the house, which would have been best practice. I just think that without knowing what conversations were held between them it’s impossible to say whether she could have done any more at that point.

Btw, my earlier post was not aimed at yours - I was composing mine very slowly when you posted.

It is a consequence of failing public services imo but I suspend judgment as to who is at fault till the inquest. It's too easy to blame social workers or the police.

Having read comments from people in the newspapers who have seen her Facebook messages and posts apparently they reveal a lot about this ‘mother’ that has not yet been reported in the press. Poor little boy should have been adopted at birth.

Thanks Iam - I didn’t want to point the finger unnecessarily at the SW.

Callistemon, the mother has two other children but I have no idea if all or any of them are from the same father. I expect her part in this tragedy will be revealed in time. I can’t imagine not being with my child over Christmas because of a row with the father. She will, I hope, regret that for the rest of her days if she has a shred of decency.

So sad. Speechless.

👍

If entry must be forced into a home, a social worker/ housing officer/ health worker has no right to effect entry: it has to be a police matter. Prosecution would follow anyone who flouted these rules.

Oh dear.

supsister - sister
Did she not see her sick father and much loved baby brother over that period?

petra

Callistemon
You ask where was the mother over Xmas and the new year, probable off her face in a crack house.

My ( now retired) social worker friend had a gun pointed at her when she went ( with the police) to remove children from the house.

I meant the child's older, possibly adult, supister.

Did you not see her sick father and much loved baby brother over that period?
It seems that a neighbour had invited Mr Battersby and the little boy over on Boxing Day.

Now the social worker and the police will be blamed (I do think the police should have been more proactive) with the actual family blaming anyone but themselves.

It must have been a dreadful shock for that social worker but she probably had an overloaded caseload too.