Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, has responded to the publication of the Serious Case Review into the tragic death of little Keanu Williams in Birmingham. He says: “Rebecca Shuttleworth is ultimately responsible for the death of her son, Keanu, of that there is no doubt. This little boy endured untold pain and suffering in his tragically short life and his deceitful mother is rightly behind bars. “As Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board has recognised in this Serious Case Review (SCR) many vital opportunities to protect Keanu were missed by the agencies in contact with him. Distressingly, as we found when the SCR into little Daniel Pelka’s death was published, many of the lessons from this case have already come up time and time again in previous reports. We learn that a defenceless child was invisible, there was a lack of communication between agencies and that a manipulative parent was able to pull the wool over the eyes of professionals. “It simply isn’t good enough to say that lessons will be learnt from serious case reviews when all of the evidence before us suggests they are not. Lessons must translate to action on the frontline, well beyond Birmingham. “Everybody working with children has a part to play in making sure that they learn from the findings of SCRs and the NSPCC is striving to help ensure lessons are clear, well publicised and able to be acted upon. All professionals – not just social workers – have to put the child at the very heart of all that they do. They must “think the unthinkable”, consider the signs of abuse, use their professional curiosity and dig a little deeper. If they believe a child is at risk, they must see it as their responsibility not simply to refer onwards but to do something decisive about it. Crucially, professionals must feel supported and empowered to act on their instincts and the evidence before them. “We can all look out for children and risk and raise anxieties before it is too late. Anybody who has any concerns about a child’s welfare –not only professionals but members of the public too - can contact the NSPCC for confidential advice and guidance on 0808 800 5000, text: 88858 or email [email protected]
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:14:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015