A boy who
was left blind in one eye after years of neglect by his mother and her
partner was so desperate he once scrawled ‘help me’ on a wall at home.
But despite the vulnerable child’s plea, the authorities repeatedly missed opportunities to intervene.
The
12-year-old was left in squalor with his baby sister while his mother,
who lives on benefits, and her boyfriend were ‘too busy’ to notice his
failing health.
Social workers and police found
squalid conditions in the family's home and the boy had written 'save
me' on one wall in an apparent cry for help
The 12-year-old boy was kept in a filthy, fly-infested house in Thornaby, near Stockton, Teesside
Gillian Hendry and Craig Dick were jailed last month for neglect after Hendry's son went blind in one eye
Gillian
Hendry and Craig Dick, both 34, were jailed for child cruelty last
month for allowing the children to live in appalling, fly-infested
conditions.
But
a report has revealed that the wretchedness of the youngsters’ lives
had been flagged up on numerous occasions by school staff and health
workers as far back as 2007 – and was not acted on.
The
pair were finally removed from their home in Thornaby, Teesside, last
year, when a social worker noticed the words ‘help me’ written on a wall
outside the boy’s bedroom.
Hendry admitted to a social worker that her son had written the message when officials first paid a visit to the property.
The
unnamed boy developed a cataract in one eye after his parents failed to
take him to hospital appointments that could have saved his sight.
He
had also been walking with a limp after developing arthritis from
living in the filthy and mouldy property, and was forced to look after
his two-year-old sister.
The report into the case stated that worries were first raised about the boy, now 12, when he was six years old
The missed opportunities in the case emerged after a Serious Case Review was called into the boy's treatment
The
report, compiled by a social worker tasked with investigating the case,
revealed that a series of chances to help the children were missed.
Issues
about the boy’s cleanliness and attendance were first raised in 2007 by
his primary school, but social services decided not to intervene.
Hospital
consultant Dr Fiona Clark warned in 2009 that the boy’s failure to
attend appointments could leave him permanently disabled but social
services again failed to visit.
They
finally acted when a school nurse went to the property in 2010 and
found the child in a mouse-infested home with no heating or hot water.
But a subsequent visit by council staff determined that conditions had significantly improved and the case was closed.
Fears
were raised by Dr Clark again after the child moved to a different
property in September 2011. But when school staff said they had no
further concerns, welfare officers decided not to carry out an
assessment.
Following
yet another warning from the consultant, social workers visited the
home eight months later – but declared it acceptable without even
looking at the children’s rooms.
It was not until the intervention of a GP last year that officials grasped the full horror of the child’s health problems.
Photographs taken during a third and final inspection of the properties where the boy lived show the conditions
Photographs taken by inspectors show the appalling state of the family home
A serious case review has already been launched by the Stockton Local Safeguarding Children Board to look at the incident.
Alex
Cunningham, Labour MP for Stockton North, said: ‘This has been a tragic
situation for this young boy and it is clear that there needs to be a
full and detailed inquiry into why he was let down.’
Middlesbrough Council said the case was closed following improvements in the child’s home life and school attendance.
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