Two year old starves to death

It seems strange the dog didn't bark if people were knocking at the door,but maybe too weak as the poor dog ,a boxer I believe was very emaciated .
Poor little boy apparently the next door neighbour heard the child crying a few days before they were found

BlueBelle

I m afraid she’s a funny type of mother to not see or contact her baby from November to January so easy for her to relinquish her responsibility and blame everyone else !
Goodness what a tragedy The baby doesn’t look well cared for the house looks very mucky and both parents loaded with tattoos which aren’t two a penny shame the little chap wasn’t placed in a foster home maybe if there’s blame to hand out that’s where it lies leaving him in a mucky run down environment with two inadequat parents

I'm not sure if the father was inadequate but he was not well. The child seemed happy to be with him.
There was reportedly food in the fridge too.

Just tragic.

X post with Bluebelle's.

There must be something radically wrong with a society where, despite the availability of free contraception, some people can keep on producing children they are unable to care for and then place the responsibility for the welfare of these children on the State, in this case Social Services and an overworked social worker.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but it is these poor children I'm thinking of - they deserve better. 😡

I m afraid she’s a funny type of mother to not see or contact her baby from November to January so easy for her to relinquish her responsibility and blame everyone else !
Goodness what a tragedy The baby doesn’t look well cared for the house looks very mucky and both parents loaded with tattoos which aren’t two a penny shame the little chap wasn’t placed in a foster home maybe if there’s blame to hand out that’s where it lies leaving him in a mucky run down environment with two inadequat parents

I just checked it, it doesn’t speak of the basement flat owner or the poor state of the flat, I am sorry

It could be the Sky News report? In that, the mother said she heard of her ex-partner's death from a friend and rushed over there, worrying about her child. She lived not far away.

Callistemon one of the newspapers, sorry can’t remember which , I was scrolling through them, there was also some info on the woman who owns the basement flat.

Night owl you are right, we shouldn’t speculate but austerity and cutting services has been a complete disaster with real life consequences.

Anniebach

I just read - the father had sole custody of the child

Where did you read that, Anniebach?

Nor should they unless they know they did everything they possibly could have done. They will know the answer to that, and we will also know in due course. I was only responsible for money, not lives, but regardless of workload there was no clocking off and leaving things for a few days. How a necessary visit to a vulnerable - and potentially missing - toddler can be shelved for a few days is beyond my understanding. There can be no excuse.

I just read - the father had sole custody of the child

Too much speculation, we simply do not know. Why this need to judge, condemn and draw conclusions without knowing the facts? It won’t bring little Bronson back and it certainly won’t do anything to attract people into social work.

JaneJudge - social workers, police, all thin on the ground. Shrinking resources alongside increasing demands. I expect those involved won’t be sleeping tonight .

I wonder what happened with the Police referral? My experience was that the police response to any suggestion concern about a child was immediate. They’re a blue light organisation whereas sw teams would often want to meet, share info and formulate a plan.

We don’t know why no action was taken, at least that’s the info the press are printing.

I imagine over Christmas it was a duty social worker.

GSM you have made some sensible, heartfelt posts on this thread but social workers are thin on the ground and it has got worse since covid. That is just my own experience

The SW didn’t chase up the police after the lack of feedback following not one, but two reports to them. It’s not good enough to say that you ticked the ‘alert the police’ box, ignore the lack of police response and not return for several days.

Iam64

The social worker visited by appointment, got no reply and contacted the police. I don’t understand why no police action was taken.
The social worker visited again, no reply, child not seen so police informed. Again, no action.
The social worker obtained a key from the landlord, let herself in and found the bodies.
Please don’t just blame this social worker. I don’t understand why the police didn’t gain access to the property. In my experience, they’d have used their powers to gain entry to ensure a vulnerable child was seen.
The child’s mother is complaining to the Sun that social services let her child die. No comment on thst

I agree. How is this the social workers fault

Shame on the mother for selling her story.

The mother was very quick to judge others though chocolatelovinggran

The Sun has no shame. It’s a disgusting rag.
The people of Liverpool are setting an example in refusing to buy it since Hillsborough

Are The Sun journalists paying this mother to parade her complaints ( and unwittingly expose her to potential judgement regarding her part in this sad matter) ? If so, shame on them.

The Children Act focusses on the welfare of the child. The majority of children do better brought up within their family of origin, with parents ideally, or within their extended family if that isn’t possible.
The legislation was based on best research evidence and care proceedings thorough and has been updated and extended over time.
There are assumptions and criticisms being made here based on very little clear evidence. I understand the emotional reaction, it’s almost impossible to contemplate what this tiny infant suffered after his daddy’s death. The mother is heavily criticised here and I understand why, though my impression is of a very vulnerable individual who accepted she couldnt care for this latest baby.
This father seems to have been ‘good enough’, in the legal definition.
There will be a complicated history here. We know so little and it’s easy to judge, criticise everyone, parents, relatives, police, social workers. I feel desperately sad that as a country, we could do so much more to support the Brondon’s if this world. We had decent family centres and trained family support workers, austerity demolished support services.

DH just told me that the little boy was just two inches too short to reach the fridge handle .... 😥

You'd think the mother would have been in contact most days to see how her youngest babe was over Christmas and New Year?

I read an interview with one of her older children, a lad of I think 19, who said father and toddler had been invited to stay with them (I don’t know to whom he was referring) over Christmas/New Year but the father declined because he had ‘a bad foot’ and had nobody to look after the dog. What was the matter with the foot I have no idea, but if it was affecting his mobility that’s yet another reason for him not to be in sole charge of a two year old. I really can’t come to terms with a situation in which a mother has a row with her ex and allegedly because of that leaves her two year old with the ex in November, saying now that she intended to give him his Christmas present in January. I wonder what sort of Christmas the poor little mite had. With his health problems and, dare I say it, appearance and former homelessness, the father may well have been living hand to mouth on benefits - mother too. What sort of life did that little one have? We will obviously learn more but I think most of us can hazard a guess.