Social workers have not taken action to protect a vulnerable child less than three weeks before she is hospitalized with a broken arm, despite warnings that she was neglected and at risk of injury, according to an investigation report.
A review found that health visitors and social workers repeatedly postponed their intervention for months on growing evidence that the girl was experiencing physical and emotional trauma and her parents were failing to care for her.
The girl was chronically underweight, left for hours in dirty diapers, slept in a bare cot in the winter, was socially isolated and never spent time with other children, had no toys and was portrayed as “sad, vigilant and frozen”. the report says. .
“The home environment in which [the child] spent the first 17 months of her life, can be described as chronic neglect, fear, inadequacy, discomfort, loneliness and physical injury, “said the review of child protection practice.
The Northamptonshire Partnership for Child Protection, which conducted the investigation, said the professionals had failed to act decisively on the piles of evidence they had accumulated, leaving the girl exposed to months of significant injury and neglect.
“If there is one important and definite lesson to be learned from this review, it is that it is not enough for professionals to observe and record signs of neglect and abuse. “Action is needed if children are to be protected from significant harm.”
Health visitors were concerned about the girl’s growth and development soon after she was born. Although they note that the mother has mental health problems, lacks affection for her daughter and can be hostile and evasive, they have not been able to take the case to child protection teams for more than a year.
When social workers finally got involved in September 2018, there were further delays and deviations and the situation peaked shortly before Christmas the same year when an engineer sent to repair a water heater raised the alarm after seeing a girl in a crib with her hands glued side with electrical wire and surrounded by used diapers.
Social workers visited the family again, but despite clear signs that things were wrong, they failed to ask about the girl’s hands. They decided not to escalate the case, instead leaving her parents with instructions on “what needs to change” in their parenting methods to ensure the child’s safety during the holidays.
The young child’s parents, Sarah Elizabeth Cunnington and Ryan Eames, were sentenced to two years and seven months each in October 2021. Photo: Police Handour
Reflecting on the decision not to intervene, the survey report said: “In the light of clear evidence of neglect, the lack of immediate action by child welfare to initiate child protection procedures raises serious questions of professional judgment.” .
In January 2019, the child was admitted to hospital in agony, three days after her parents told social workers that the girl had a swollen arm. X-rays revealed a broken arm, as well as numerous historical fractures to her legs. She was immediately taken to police custody and her parents arrested.
Social workers did not lack awareness of the potential risks for the girl, the survey found. However, there was a lack of “management supervision”, which, combined with the frequent change of social workers during the three months of their participation, caused the girl significant harm.
Asked why they did not refer the girl to child protection earlier, health visitors said, based on previous experience, that they believe the thresholds for child protection intervention are set so high that their referral will inevitably be rejected.
The girl remains in care and, according to the Northamptonshire Partnership for Child Protection, “is beginning to thrive with her foster parents.” Her parents, Sarah Elizabeth Cunnington and Ryan Eames, were sentenced to two years and seven months in prison in October 2021.
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