Child care criticised after baby shaken

CHILD protection agencies in Yorkshire have been told to improve after a mother suffering from a postnatal mental disorder apparently shook her baby son, causing him life-threatening head injuries.

The five-month-old boy from Bradford was found to have a haemorrhage within his skull after being found unresponsive and breathing irregularly at his home in February 2007.

Only three weeks earlier, the boy had been in hospital for tests because his father had reported seeing him being shaken by his mother.

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The family was being monitored by health professionals because the mother and baby had recently been discharged from a mental health unit.

Details of the case have been revealed in a serious case review report by Bradford Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB), which found there were a "number of occasions" when care could have been improved.

A "shaking assault" was the most likely cause of the injuries and his mother has accepted responsibility for them.

A criminal investigation ended in February last year, however, after the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.

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The boy, identified only as 'AI' in the report, was born in September 2006 to Somali Muslim parents, his father 'IJ' and mother 'HI'.

Although mother and baby appeared to be doing well initially, Bradford mental health workers were called in after the father expressed concerns.

She was detained under the Mental Health Act and the mother and her baby were admitted to a mental health unit in Leeds, where she was physically aggressive and suffered hallucinations.

The boy was admitted to hospital for two days from February 6, 2007 after the father reported seeing the mother shaking him. On the same day, a GP had noted a small bruise below the baby's left eye and fresh, recent scratches.

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Social services monitored the family, but the boy was found seriously injured on February 27.

The panel identified "some excellent multi-agency working" but, although the mother clearly posed a risk to her son, social workers were not informed and there were "significant" gaps in the information passed to care agencies after they were discharge from the unit.

The case was not referred to Bradford Council's children's social care department until almost two months later.

BSCB chairman Professor Nick Frost said: "This was a terrible incident which has left this child with serious and permanent injuries. It is difficult to know whether this incident could have been prevented."

He added that the serious case review identified occasions when communication could have been better and steps had been taken to address this.

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