Neglect and serious case reviews (PDF, 735KB) - nspcc

Neglect and Serious Case Reviews
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by police and medics also gave rise to the question of whether the home
environment was compatible with the health and wellbeing of a threemonth-old
premature child.
background to the family and case:
The family comprised two adults and four children aged under six years.
The parents, who had a history of misusing alcohol and drugs, had been
in an enduring relationship for some years. The child’s mother had herself
experienced neglect in her childhood and had episodes in care. Her
partner, Daniel’s father, had witnessed domestic violence as a child and had
experienced mental health difficulties throughout his adult life. Both parents
had convictions for alcohol-related crime.
Although warm relationships between the children and parents had been
observed by some professionals involved with the family, it was also noted
at times that the parents were withdrawn and reluctant to be involved in
direct care, and the standard of care received by the children was erratic.
Daniel, their fourth child, had been born prematurely and had required
neonatal intensive care at birth. The mother had been distressed by his
poor condition at birth, and his special care needs placed high demands on
a family who were already struggling to cope.
types of neglect experienced:
There were serious concerns about the parents’ capacity to provide
appropriate physical and emotional care for their children. The home
conditions were described as dirty, overcrowded, untidy and in a state of
disrepair. Poor hygiene was noted for all four children and Daniel was found
to have very severe ammonia burns from unchanged nappies. Substance
misuse affected the parents’ ability to adequately supervise their children
and there had been reports of the children wandering alone. Furthermore,
the SCR notes many missed health appointments and poor school
attendance for the oldest sibling. There had also been concerns around
the failure to follow advice from professionals in relation to feeding Daniel
(special feeding requirements for a premature baby).
what it was like to be a child in this family:
The care the children experienced was confusing and unpredictable. The
parents’ alcohol consumption adversely affected their ability to attend
to their children’s physical care needs or to be emotionally available to
their children. In the presence of a drunk parent the child is likely to feel
emotionally abandoned and frightened. For the baby, his need to be tended
to when distressed or ill, fed when hungry, or being held close when fed
was not always met.