... numerous facial injuries in a period of 15 months. As my interaction with the family grew, I became concerned about a number of areas. The children all had very poor attendance at school and nursery, all were unwashed and unkempt and their development was well behind where it should be. Their mother hadn't taken the children to any of their health or dental appointments and there seemed to be a general lack of stimulation in the home. All of the three children had untreated head lice and the seven year old boy was providing meals for his younger siblings.
The youngest child at just two years of age was always in a pushchair during my visits, whilst the other children at just four and seven seemed to display quite aggressive behaviour towards each other and towards their mother. The children appeared to seek emotional warmth from strangers and professionals and the seven year old child was still soiling and wetting his bed. He was observed unsupervised out in the street late at night.
All three children were present during fights between their mother, step father and other acquaintances of the family. The four year old girl during one visit disclosed that her step father had hurt her. Between the children's mother and step father there was excessive alcohol use and domestic violence. On occasions when the mother was observed with facial injuries,she was not able to provide an explanation as to how they happened. The stepfather had a long history of violence for which he had served prison sentences, one of which was for 14 years.
There was a lack of co-operation with the local authority, such as non attendance at meetings, refusing to allow access, not engaging with assessments and a general lack of honesty about the situation. The children's biological fathers, three different men, also had significant problems ranging from suspected marijuana and heroin use, frequent drunkenness, hostility towards the mother, aggressive behaviour in front of the children, lack of financial support and inconsistent contact.
The home itself was very cluttered and dirty. The two year old child was witnessed eating his meals off the living room floor. Inappropriate visitors often frequented the home and were left alone with the children. Alcohol, cannabis use and pornography were rife in the home and the mother and step father were evicted due to rent arrears.
Who is at risk and why?
