Concerns over baby's death and girl's care - report

The boy died at the age of seven weeks and was later found to have multiple rib fractures

A report has raised concerns over the death of a seven-week-old boy and the protection given to his sister by authorities.

The baby died with rib fractures less than a year after the girl was taken to hospital with a head injury, according to the Dorset child safeguarding practice review.

The parents were not prosecuted, although the girl was taken into foster care more than a year later, the report said.

Author Margaret Tench said authorities had sufficient grounds to safeguard the sister at a much earlier stage.

The girl, given the pseudonym 'Sarah', was taken to hospital at the age of four months in August 2020, the report said.

Her parents said she had fallen onto a concrete floor while being carried by a five-year-old.

A hospital paediatrician accepted the explanation and no further action was taken.

However, later information suggesting a different cause was never shared with police and social services, Ms Tench said.

Her report gave no further details.

The girl's brother, referred to as 'Daniel', was found lifeless on 17 May 2021.

The rib fractures were found by X-ray shortly afterwards, but it was not until July 2022 that a pathologist officially reported the baby had suffered "multiple rib fractures of varying ages" which were "non-accidental".

This led to Sarah being taken into foster care in September, 16 months after her brother's death, Ms Tench said.

She concluded: "Agencies had enough information to safeguard Sarah soon after the original skeletal survey."

"It is easy to look back with hindsight and identify several key points in time when Sarah and Daniel could have been safeguarded.

"System-wide issues include early decision making, challenge, professional curiosity, analysis, risk assessment and delay in post-mortem report findings."

A criminal investigation over the parents ended in January 2024 with no charges being brought, the report noted.