Baby died after being found between sleeping mum and arm of chair

The six-month-old's mother admitted drinking "two or three" bottles of wine before passing out in the chair

A six-month-old baby died after being found between its sleeping mother and the arm of a chair.

The case, in which the Local Democracy Reporting Service refers to the child as Baby A, has been published by the Derby and Derbyshire Children's Safeguarding Board.

The mother admitted passing out in the chair after drinking "two or three" bottles of wine.

A report stated Baby A's mother had a history of "chaotic alcohol abuse".

The safeguarding board report said while the baby's health needs were assessed, the risks posed to it were "unrecognised and underestimated".

The report said while pregnant with Baby A, the mother was assessed by a substance misuse midwife.

The mother denied drinking alcohol but later admitted she drank and smoked during pregnancy.

She continued to deny alcohol abuse after the baby's birth, saying it was only "occasional consumption".

'Apparently lifeless'

At one stage, the mother's sister reported her to the police as missing, along with her children, due to "perceived alcohol consumption concerns".

The mother's husband also reported her to officers for driving with the children in the car while "appearing to be intoxicated".

Professionals are said to have confronted the mother over alleged alcohol abuse but the report said: "The outcome was an acceptance of mother's script that her alcohol usage was under control."

There was "no clear risk assessment" carried out to investigate whether the mother's need for alcohol overcame her ability to provide safe care to her children, the report added.

The baby's father returned home one day to find the mother asleep in the chair, with the baby "apparently lifeless". Baby A died two days later.

Following the death and the mother's admission about drinking wine before passing out in the chair, Baby A's father and the maternal family "subsequently presented a picture of persistent, heavy drinking for many years, which was very different from that presented by Baby A's mother herself".

Professionals had accepted the mother's "own script" about her drinking habits, the report said, and could have challenged this, shared it fully with other agencies and accessed information held by the family.

"Had the information that emerged after Baby A's death been fully shared beforehand it could well have shaken the confidence of professionals that this baby was safe and led to more assertive safeguarding action," the report added.