Boy locked in room 'endured neglect for years'

It took a year before action was taken, the safeguarding report added

A boy who was beaten and had to defecate on the floor "was left to endure continuing neglect and serious abuse for years" after referrals were not acted upon, a report has found.

The boy's stepfather and mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were jailed last year for child cruelty.

A school nurse's concerns did not spark child protection procedures, a serious case review in Northamptonshire said.

It took a year before action was taken, the safeguarding report added.

The boy was "scapegoated" by his stepfather, locked in a room, banned from speaking and fed old food in "the worst case of child cruelty" professionals had seen for 25 years.

The Northamptonshire Children Safeguarding Partnership Serious Case Review pointed to missed opportunities for intervention by social workers, health workers and the multi-agency safeguarding hub.

These included missed mental health service appointments and the closure of a child-in-need plan by social workers within three months.

Shortly afterwards, the stepfather told professionals he would home educate the boy when he transitioned from primary to secondary school, meaning he was "hidden from view" for 14 months, the report said.

'Lack of curiosity'

It said a "vital lesson" from the review was "ensuring that there is sufficient and appropriate monitoring" before closing a child-in-need case.

Health agencies, including the child mental health service and GP services, have apologised for the lack of "professional curiosity during health appointments".

The review said that "if children's social care and police had not acted when the school passed on the concerns arising from disclosures by [the child's] siblings, then the outcome could have been very different".

But "by not instigating child protection procedures when previous referrals had been made to children's services meant that [the child] was left to endure continuing neglect and serious abuse for years", it added.

The boy's stepfather and mother were jailed following a trial at Northampton Crown Court

The report concluded the stepfather's "manipulation and control" towards professionals "cannot be underestimated".

It commended a school nurse's "perseverance" in raising concerns, but "her referral to the multi-agency safeguarding hub did not result in child protection procedures being instigated and it would be another year before action was taken to safeguard [the child] and siblings".

The stepfather was jailed for seven years and the boy's mother was jailed for three-and-a-half years after a trial last year, relating to events between 2012 and 2016.

Dr Jo Watt, on behalf of Northamptonshire's Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: "On behalf of all health agencies involved in this case, I would like to apologise that there was not enough professional curiosity during health appointments and more was not done to challenge the family for not bringing [the child] to appointments.

"Since the review was commissioned, we have reviewed our procedures for when children are not brought to health appointments, and this is now challenged much more quickly."