Northamptonshire review finds 'significant failings' after child had arms 'taped'

The report said there was a lack of action in the light of "stark evidence of neglect"

A severely neglected 17-month-old child was taken into care only after a contractor reported seeing them in a cot "with their arms taped up", a report has found.

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) found "significant failings in care by professionals".

It said "a number of agencies failed to take action in a timely manner".

NSCP said professionals had learned from issues raised in the review.

The review, published on Tuesday, said professionals had "failed to spot the warning signs that a vulnerable child was a victim of severe neglect".

More action was only taken when the contractor's concerns were reported to social services by a housing officer.

This came after months of visits by health visitors, social workers and intermittent attendance at clinics, where the child was noted to be "losing weight", showed "no response to being put back in its cot while wide awake", and was "unable to stand", the report said.

A full skeletal survey later showed the child had suffered five fractures, including breaks to both legs.

The report said: "The question has to be asked as to whether the reason the child was not pulling itself up, standing or walking was because they had suffered two broken legs."

The child - referred to in the publication as Child Au - who cannot be named for legal reasons, is now safe in foster care.

Both parents have since been convicted in relation to the case.

'Dirty nappies and mouldy baby food'

Despite concerns over development, weight, and care from the mother, two health visitors did not make a referral to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

"As a result, Child Au continued to be left at risk of serious neglect and significant harm," the report said.

The report said two of the health visitors believed if they submitted a referral to MASH "it would not be accepted", which was influenced by their previous experience of referrals being rejected.

Months later, a contractor visited the home to carry out work and reported seeing "dirty nappies and mouldy jars of baby food lying around".

As a result, a housing officer paid an unannounced visit to the home, and while there saw the child upstairs in a cot on a "bare mattress, with no sheets or blankets".

The child was seen "wearing a baby romper suit with the arms 'taped up'".

A social worker visited the home a day later and found "there was no food in the cupboards or fridge for Child Au, no toys visible and no bedding on the cot".

The safeguarding report said: "In light of the stark evidence of neglect, the lack of immediate action by children's social care to initiate child protection procedures raises serious questions of professional judgement."

'Frequent change of social worker'

Shortly after, the child's father told a social worker the child had had a "swollen arm" for several days but "was not sure how this had happened".

When the child was taken to accident and emergency, an X-ray found a fracture in the left arm, and a skeletal survey revealed five further fractures all at different stages of healing.

When weighed, the child was found to be just 1st 1lb (7.3kg).

The report said the social worker should have taken "immediate action... to ensure that Child Au was medically assessed".

It said the concerns raised earlier by the contractor and by a social worker the following day should have resulted in "the convening of a multi-agency strategy meeting".

It also said there was "a frequent change of social worker" and "a lack of management oversight... which resulted in Child Au suffering significant harm".

NSCP made a series of recommendations including that all professionals working with children read the report "to remind them that it is not enough to observe and record indications of neglect and abuse".

"Action is required if children are to be protected from significant harm," the recommendation said.

It said it was a "desperately sad case" but that the child was "now beginning to thrive with foster carers".

"Significant learning has been addressed by professionals... since this review was commenced and we hope the recommendations made in this report will help to improve practice in very challenging cases such as these."

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