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Hospitals and social workers continue to allow suspicious injuries to slip through the net Doctors and social workers are failing children who end up in hospital after abuse or neglect by their parents, a government-funded inquiry has found. Some are discharged from casualty departments and allowed to go home, despite suspicious injuries such as a black eye or broken arm, because they are not identified as being at risk, states a report by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) charity. Doctors and nurses say specialist social workers are overworked and often reluctant to intervene, even if it is thought children are likely to suffer further harm. Social workers, for their part, told researchers they were ‘frustrated with medical staff who were not prepared to make a decision about whether a child’s injury was accidental or not’ because they did not want to be the one that ‘labelled’ a family as abusive. The NCB report says that many hospitals and social workers have not implemented changes brought in after the horrific abuse and murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000. It comes as new figures show that hospitals in England treat on average 471 children every week who have sustained deliberate injuries. There were 24,497 such cases among under-18s in 2005-06, involving injuries such as a black eye or broken arm. They involved a total of 21,334 children, some of whom were seen more than once. The identities of those thought responsible for the assaults were not recorded, but they include other young people as well as parents, relatives and childminders. The study paints a picture of tension, mistrust and disputes between professionals who are meant to raise the alarm if they suspect abuse or neglect. Its findings indicate that lessons have not been learnt widely enough since staff at two London hospitals were criticised by Lord Laming’s inquiry in 2003 into the Climbie case over failures which meant that two opportunities to protect her were missed when she came in for treatment. Last week James Craig, 26, and Sharma Dookhooah, 25, of Romford, Essex, were each jailed for five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of their 10-month-old son Neo. Their Old Bailey trial heard that there had been a series of failings by police, doctors and social workers who knew about the boy’s ‘derelict’ home life but did not intervene, despite a number of warnings. The NCB’s year-long survey of child protection arrangements at 130 hospitals also found that fewer than half had a dedicated team of children’s social workers based on-site, even though the Department of Health said in 2003 that they should. ‘Some children could slip through the net because of that. They could have their injury treated but their underlying abuse may go unnoticed and not investigated,’ said Di Hart, one of the two co-authors of the report, A Shared Responsibility: Safeguarding arrangements between hospitals and children’s social services
Archive for November 11th, 2007
Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0552.htm
Hospitals and social workers continue to allow suspicious injuries to slip through the net Doctors and social workers are failing children who end up in hospital after abuse or neglect by their parents, a government-funded inquiry has found. Some are discharged from casualty departments and allowed to go home, despite suspicious injuries such as a black eye or broken arm, because they are not identified as being at risk, states a report by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) charity. Doctors and nurses say specialist social workers are overworked and often reluctant to intervene, even if it is thought children are likely to suffer further harm. Social workers, for their part, told researchers they were ‘frustrated with medical staff who were not prepared to make a decision about whether a child’s injury was accidental or not’ because they did not want to be the one that ‘labelled’ a family as abusive. The NCB report says that many hospitals and social workers have not implemented changes brought in after the horrific abuse and murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000. It comes as new figures show that hospitals in England treat on average 471 children every week who have sustained deliberate injuries. There were 24,497 such cases among under-18s in 2005-06, involving injuries such as a black eye or broken arm. They involved a total of 21,334 children, some of whom were seen more than once. The identities of those thought responsible for the assaults were not recorded, but they include other young people as well as parents, relatives and childminders. The study paints a picture of tension, mistrust and disputes between professionals who are meant to raise the alarm if they suspect abuse or neglect. Its findings indicate that lessons have not been learnt widely enough since staff at two London hospitals were criticised by Lord Laming’s inquiry in 2003 into the Climbie case over failures which meant that two opportunities to protect her were missed when she came in for treatment. Last week James Craig, 26, and Sharma Dookhooah, 25, of Romford, Essex, were each jailed for five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of their 10-month-old son Neo. Their Old Bailey trial heard that there had been a series of failings by police, doctors and social workers who knew about the boy’s ‘derelict’ home life but did not intervene, despite a number of warnings. The NCB’s year-long survey of child protection arrangements at 130 hospitals also found that fewer than half had a dedicated team of children’s social workers based on-site, even though the Department of Health said in 2003 that they should. ‘Some children could slip through the net because of that. They could have their injury treated but their underlying abuse may go unnoticed and not investigated,’ said Di Hart, one of the two co-authors of the report, A Shared Responsibility: Safeguarding arrangements between hospitals and children’s social services
Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0552.htm
Hospitals and social workers continue to allow suspicious injuries to slip through the net Doctors and social workers are failing children who end up in hospital after abuse or neglect by their parents, a government-funded inquiry has found. Some are discharged from casualty departments and allowed to go home, despite suspicious injuries such as a black eye or broken arm, because they are not identified as being at risk, states a report by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) charity. Doctors and nurses say specialist social workers are overworked and often reluctant to intervene, even if it is thought children are likely to suffer further harm. Social workers, for their part, told researchers they were ‘frustrated with medical staff who were not prepared to make a decision about whether a child’s injury was accidental or not’ because they did not want to be the one that ‘labelled’ a family as abusive. The NCB report says that many hospitals and social workers have not implemented changes brought in after the horrific abuse and murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000. It comes as new figures show that hospitals in England treat on average 471 children every week who have sustained deliberate injuries. There were 24,497 such cases among under-18s in 2005-06, involving injuries such as a black eye or broken arm. They involved a total of 21,334 children, some of whom were seen more than once. The identities of those thought responsible for the assaults were not recorded, but they include other young people as well as parents, relatives and childminders. The study paints a picture of tension, mistrust and disputes between professionals who are meant to raise the alarm if they suspect abuse or neglect. Its findings indicate that lessons have not been learnt widely enough since staff at two London hospitals were criticised by Lord Laming’s inquiry in 2003 into the Climbie case over failures which meant that two opportunities to protect her were missed when she came in for treatment. Last week James Craig, 26, and Sharma Dookhooah, 25, of Romford, Essex, were each jailed for five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of their 10-month-old son Neo. Their Old Bailey trial heard that there had been a series of failings by police, doctors and social workers who knew about the boy’s ‘derelict’ home life but did not intervene, despite a number of warnings. The NCB’s year-long survey of child protection arrangements at 130 hospitals also found that fewer than half had a dedicated team of children’s social workers based on-site, even though the Department of Health said in 2003 that they should. ‘Some children could slip through the net because of that. They could have their injury treated but their underlying abuse may go unnoticed and not investigated,’ said Di Hart, one of the two co-authors of the report, A Shared Responsibility: Safeguarding arrangements between hospitals and children’s social services
OAP abused girls
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A PENSIONER who sexually abused two little girls has been set free by a court but only to give social services time to organise care for his 94-year-old mother while he is in prison. Next week Alan Westmorland, 67, will return to Carlisle Crown Court to be locked up pending his final sentence, which the judge warned him on Thursday would be substantial. Westmorland, a former taxi driver who lives in Broad Street, Carlisle, had denied a total of 10 charges. But he was convicted of eight of them six charges of indecently assaulting one girl and two more of indecency with each. He was cleared of two charges of indecently assaulting the second girl. During the trial the girls, who are now in their teens, told how he regularly abused them when they were under 10, although they only told the police about it last year. After the verdicts Westmorlands barrister, Keith Thomas, pleaded for bail as an act of mercy, because social services needed at least a week to organise care for his mother. She knows he is in court but does not understand the seriousness of his predicament, he said. Judge Peter Hughes QC allowed Westmorland bail for a week, but only on condition that he returns to court to be locked up next Thursday. Because of the nature of the offences, and concerns about how he may react to his position, I would not normally grant bail, the judge said.
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A PREGNANT woman last night said she had been hounded out of the region by council bosses who plan to take her child from her within 15 minutes of its birth.
Fran Lyon yesterday left her home in St Hildas Road, Hexham, after receiving what she described as a horrific birth plan for her child from Northumberland County Council social services.
The 22-year-old has been told that her baby must be taken from her as she could potentially suffer from a mental illness that could cause her to harm the infant.
Now, at 32 weeks, she has written to the county council informing them of where she has gone and that she intends to engage with her new local authority, in the Midlands.
Her legal team are due to meet with social services bosses at her new authority in a bid to transfer the case.
Ms Lyon said: I am really disappointed at having to leave my home and I am really upset with the way this has been handled.
It is a really sad indictment of a local authority in the way that they have dealt with an expectant mother, who has tried to cooperate, with some of the most extreme measures imaginable.
Ms Lyon said she made her decision to move to the Midlands after receiving a copy of her birth plan from social services earlier this week.
It outlines how the baby girl, who Fran has named Molly, must not be breast-fed and must have contact with her for no more than 10-15 minutes after she is born.
Ms Lyon said: I have been told that I am not to breast feed my child in case I try to poison her. As far as I am concerned the birth plan is abusive and I will just not stand for it.
It would leave Molly isolated from anybody who loves her from the first few minutes of her life. It is barbaric and it deprives her of a basic right.
Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0550.htm
A PREGNANT woman last night said she had been hounded out of the region by council bosses who plan to take her child from her within 15 minutes of its birth.
Fran Lyon yesterday left her home in St Hildas Road, Hexham, after receiving what she described as a horrific birth plan for her child from Northumberland County Council social services.
The 22-year-old has been told that her baby must be taken from her as she could potentially suffer from a mental illness that could cause her to harm the infant.
Now, at 32 weeks, she has written to the county council informing them of where she has gone and that she intends to engage with her new local authority, in the Midlands.
Her legal team are due to meet with social services bosses at her new authority in a bid to transfer the case.
Ms Lyon said: I am really disappointed at having to leave my home and I am really upset with the way this has been handled.
It is a really sad indictment of a local authority in the way that they have dealt with an expectant mother, who has tried to cooperate, with some of the most extreme measures imaginable.
Ms Lyon said she made her decision to move to the Midlands after receiving a copy of her birth plan from social services earlier this week.
It outlines how the baby girl, who Fran has named Molly, must not be breast-fed and must have contact with her for no more than 10-15 minutes after she is born.
Ms Lyon said: I have been told that I am not to breast feed my child in case I try to poison her. As far as I am concerned the birth plan is abusive and I will just not stand for it.
It would leave Molly isolated from anybody who loves her from the first few minutes of her life. It is barbaric and it deprives her of a basic right.
Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0550.htm
A PREGNANT woman last night said she had been hounded out of the region by council bosses who plan to take her child from her within 15 minutes of its birth.
Fran Lyon yesterday left her home in St Hildas Road, Hexham, after receiving what she described as a horrific birth plan for her child from Northumberland County Council social services.
The 22-year-old has been told that her baby must be taken from her as she could potentially suffer from a mental illness that could cause her to harm the infant.
Now, at 32 weeks, she has written to the county council informing them of where she has gone and that she intends to engage with her new local authority, in the Midlands.
Her legal team are due to meet with social services bosses at her new authority in a bid to transfer the case.
Ms Lyon said: I am really disappointed at having to leave my home and I am really upset with the way this has been handled.
It is a really sad indictment of a local authority in the way that they have dealt with an expectant mother, who has tried to cooperate, with some of the most extreme measures imaginable.
Ms Lyon said she made her decision to move to the Midlands after receiving a copy of her birth plan from social services earlier this week.
It outlines how the baby girl, who Fran has named Molly, must not be breast-fed and must have contact with her for no more than 10-15 minutes after she is born.
Ms Lyon said: I have been told that I am not to breast feed my child in case I try to poison her. As far as I am concerned the birth plan is abusive and I will just not stand for it.
It would leave Molly isolated from anybody who loves her from the first few minutes of her life. It is barbaric and it deprives her of a basic right.
Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0549.htm
Health and Social Services and Education are bracing themselves for difficult times following the release of the Budget. Health minister Peter Roffey said his departments budget was the best he could expect but the increase in the medium term was not sustainable for future health care spending. In the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in the Queens speech, said that the National Health Service over the next few years would go up by RPI plus 4% each year. We just dont have that amount of money available to spend and over time we are spending less per head of the population on health than the UK its going to be a struggle, said Deputy Roffey. On a positive note, it is better than we thought it was going to be a few months ago. The money is sufficient to carry out what we call level running but it will be very difficult to introduce any new services or new treatments other than what has been in the news the last few days ‘an Pfund805,000 windfall allocated for cervical cancer vaccinations and colorectal screening programme’, he said. Deputy Roffey said he was extremely relieved that Treasury and Resources had listened to his departments concerns about the off-island budget. The really positive thing is the agreement to ring fence the off-island budget, he said. We have been extremely good at keeping down our on-island budget, but our off-island expenses have risen considerably and that is something that is completely out of our control. Its a huge relief for us in terms of being able to control our own destiny in that the off-island expenses will come from a central fund, he said. Health has been forced in the past to take out of its on-island budget to supplement rises in off-island costs.
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The parents of a 10-month-old boy who died after suffering a “litany of injuries” which they tried to hide by smothering him in baby powder have each been jailed for five years.
Neo Craig died from massive internal bleeding after being punched in the stomach by his drug addict father, James Craig, as he lashed out at the child’s mother on Christmas Eve last year.
The Old Bailey heard Neo died after a string of failings by police, doctors and social services, who were aware of his “derelict” home life, but did not intervene despite a number of warning signs.
Neo, who had been placed on the child protection register, suffered 10 severe injuries in the months before his death, including fractures of several ribs and a fractured right thigh caused by twisting.
His parents were spending Pfund250 a day on their crack cocaine habit, funded by a Pfund60,000 inheritance which his mother, qualified nurse Sharma Dookhooha, had received.
The baby tested positive for cocaine when he was born but the results were twice ignored by doctors.
The court heard he had been seen by a health visitor on Oct 16 when he was recovering from fractures to his ribs and thigh.
Richard Whittam, prosecuting, said: “He was covered from neck to ankle in white baby powder and the visitor was unable to tell if there were any marks on the body.”
When Dookhooha was asked why there was so much talc on his skin, she replied: “I like the smell of the powder.”
A serious case review was launched following his death, which made recommendations to improve training for social workers dealing with families where drug abuse was taking place.
Scrap dealer Craig, 26, and Dookhooha, 25, from Romford, Essex, admitted causing or allowing the death of their son at an earlier hearing.
Craig admitted lashing out with a “clenched fist” at his girlfriend during a row, while she was holding Neo, accidentally striking the baby and causing fatal internal bleeding to his stomach.
Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0548.htm
The parents of a 10-month-old boy who died after suffering a “litany of injuries” which they tried to hide by smothering him in baby powder have each been jailed for five years.
Neo Craig died from massive internal bleeding after being punched in the stomach by his drug addict father, James Craig, as he lashed out at the child’s mother on Christmas Eve last year.
The Old Bailey heard Neo died after a string of failings by police, doctors and social services, who were aware of his “derelict” home life, but did not intervene despite a number of warning signs.
Neo, who had been placed on the child protection register, suffered 10 severe injuries in the months before his death, including fractures of several ribs and a fractured right thigh caused by twisting.
His parents were spending Pfund250 a day on their crack cocaine habit, funded by a Pfund60,000 inheritance which his mother, qualified nurse Sharma Dookhooha, had received.
The baby tested positive for cocaine when he was born but the results were twice ignored by doctors.
The court heard he had been seen by a health visitor on Oct 16 when he was recovering from fractures to his ribs and thigh.
Richard Whittam, prosecuting, said: “He was covered from neck to ankle in white baby powder and the visitor was unable to tell if there were any marks on the body.”
When Dookhooha was asked why there was so much talc on his skin, she replied: “I like the smell of the powder.”
A serious case review was launched following his death, which made recommendations to improve training for social workers dealing with families where drug abuse was taking place.
Scrap dealer Craig, 26, and Dookhooha, 25, from Romford, Essex, admitted causing or allowing the death of their son at an earlier hearing.
Craig admitted lashing out with a “clenched fist” at his girlfriend during a row, while she was holding Neo, accidentally striking the baby and causing fatal internal bleeding to his stomach.
