A thorough and branch review of child welfare in Wales is needed following the case of five-year-old Logan Mwangi, who was killed by his mother and stepfather after being removed from the Child Protection Register, a leading social worker said.
Prof. Donald Forrester said the case highlighted critical issues affecting many social services for children in Wales, ranging from the capacity of social workers and staff shortages to a large and growing number of children in care.
Logan’s mother, stepfather and teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were convicted Thursday of killing Logan after months of harassment and violence. Logan was found dead in a river with more than 50 injuries on his body.
Forrester said it was impossible to prevent the recurrence of infant deaths of this nature and that there were no “simple solutions”, but the case offered an opportunity for the country to take stock of child welfare.
“We really need to take a step back and say, ‘Is this it?’ [the current system] working. Or could we do better? ”Said Forrester, director of the Cascade Child Welfare Research Center at Cardiff University.
“Protecting a child is always difficult, and Covid has made it even more difficult. “What we have seen is a system that is already under pressure and under even greater stress,” he added.
According to the latest data, Wales has the highest share of children placed outside their home, of all countries in the United Kingdom, and young people from Wales will be twice as likely to be placed in care than in England. The number of children cared for in Wales has increased by 80% since 2003.
He also shares with other countries in the United Kingdom the problems of the shortage of child social workers, with some councils finding that the vacancy rate is as high as 40% and is highly dependent on temporary staff.
However, Wales is the only one that has not undertaken a recent review of child welfare. The Scotland Care Review is reported in 2020, Northern Ireland starts in February and England is due to report in May.
The lawsuit alleges that authorities in Logan Bridgend’s hometown potentially missed a series of clues and reports that Logan was at high risk of abuse. Just weeks before his death, social workers removed him from the child protection register, assuming he was not considered in imminent danger.
The local child protection council is launching a review of children’s practice to determine if and why social workers and other protection professionals have failed to intervene to save Logan, although it is unlikely to report earlier. autumn.
An inspection by the Welsh Authority, which took place just months before Logan’s death, found that child protection teams run by Bridget County Council were struggling to provide equally safe and comprehensive services to vulnerable children as demand increased. of the pandemic.
The Welsh Inspectorate’s assurance test, published in November, said the council’s support for some families was “fragmented” and inconsistent on child protection issues. It highlighted the vacancies in children’s teams and the problems in dealing with the volume and complexity of cases.
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He also found examples of good practice and noted “positive examples of a multidisciplinary approach to risk management and of practitioners, partners and agencies working together, effective information sharing, identification and monitoring of the needs and risks of vulnerable children and adults”.
Wales Commissioner for Children Rocio Sifuentes said: “In this case, we must allow proper procedure to take place and allow the Regional Protection Council to carry out the review.
“In the wider landscape, the Welsh Government is consulting on its White Paper on Welfare Reform in Wales; this work must move in line with the government’s commitment program to ensure that children’s rights are protected and promoted wherever they live. “
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “This is such a tragic case and our thoughts are with everyone affected by Logan’s death. It is now vital that both the review of children’s practice and the planned inspection by the Wales Inspectorate are completed. “
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