SOCIAL workers failed to protect a young child and two babies from abuse at the hands of their parents over a fiveyear period.

It emerged that the mother of the siblings, who suffered both neglect and emotional abuse, had already had her first four abused children taken into care.

An independent serious case review into the shortcomings of Middlesbrough Borough Council’s children, families and learning department has resulted in a raft of recommendations, which have been put in place.

The review said there had been:

● A failure to follow procedures, and poor assessment;

● Lack of decision making and leadership;

● Poor information sharing.

It added that visits by social workers to the family and the recording of case details had also been sub-standard.

No disciplinary action was taken against any of the professionals involved.

The children, now safe and well, were finally taken into care in April last year when children’s centre staff raised the alarm after accessing the family home.

They found no food in the house, the mother explaining she had no pushchair and was unable to go shopping.

The children were seen to eat a small meal very hungrily, the review stated.

Their mother, on anti-depressants, had a series of relationships involving domestic violence, alcohol and substance misuse. Four older half-siblings were taken into care in 2004 following serious concerns of physical and emotional abuse and neglect.

But when their mother became pregnant by a new partner, a meeting with child protection officers failed to highlight the potential risks.

The minutes at the end of the initial conference read: “The historical concerns around the neglect and emotional abuse of the other children are not relevant at the present time.”

Author of the serious case review, Patti Summerfield said if that conclusion had been challenged it could have altered future decisions taken. The mother went on to have two more children with a different partner and although concerns were raised about the babies’ welfare, communication between the various agencies was poor.

“It is the lack of focus on the child which is the striking feature of this case,” said Ms Summerfield.

Gill Rollings, executive director for children, families and learning at Middlesbrough Council, said: “The matters raised in this review are serious. Action was taken to address shortcomings well before the review process was completed.

“This has included senior management action and changes to management and supervision arrangements.”