How do we protect these children? There must be more we all can do!

[AnotherThingToDo]

I’m haunted by these poor children who have to endure this torture. How many more are there who aren’t in the news because they haven’t died?

Experts, people in child-protection roles, people with experience: how can people who feel angry and devastated by this channel this emotion into actually making a difference?

We hear time and time again how resources are limited. Is there more that society can do?

What can we do. Be aware? Give money to social care, can you even do that ? Is it all government?
Foster or adopt, a huge commitment though !
I was thinking I'd like to volunteer at a kids care home though fitting that in with a kid and job isn't easy right now. Something for the future, sounds like a cop out.. I feel the same though, poor little boy, I can't think about it.

Don't vote for the tories who have been eroding public services for many years?

The death penalty as punishment/justice.

@Cattipuss

Don't vote for the tories who have been eroding public services for many years?

This.

I think that these things have been missed because social workers and police are stretched so thinly as their budgets simply aren’t adequate.

Don’t wait to be sure
Report report report
Any tiny thing that a kid says or does that is a concern , don’t mull it over, or wait to be certain or concern yourself with the ramifications —Just report !

One common factor in all these cases is social services and the police and decisions not to act.

Flame me, I think they need to be held legally accountable for death by neglect of duty. Until that happens we'll see it again and again.

Don't effectively help ostracise the child at school who is a bit different, or behind, or who looks ragged just because 'my child can choose their own friends'.

See also being properly inclusive to children with LD or emotional disabilities.

Time and time again people post on MN expressing concerns about a child. Time and time again they are told to keep their beak out, how do they know what that parent is going through, they are judgemental, it's a snapshot of a moment and probably means nothing. It's depressing.

But in this case people did report and nothing was done.
Lock down didn't help though - otherwise the poor boy might have been at school and it might have got picked up.

Maybe consider who you vote for? Both central and local public service have been reduced for years.

Makes me laugh, shit newspapers like the mail, gratuitously loving terrible cases like this and saying social services are shit, while at the same time wanting to lower taxes.

And hanging a social worker or two out to dry won't help much. Most of them have too big a case load as it is.

@BleuJay Daily mail/sun reader are you? The death penalty does nothing to reduce the rate of crime in countries that have it.

Years in related fields here.

The lost important thing is to encourage and nurture circuit breakers. In every abusive family which isn't one any more there is a circuit breaker. Either a woman who doesn't let an abusive man into her house or a man who decides the violence of his father won't be repeated in his house. And yes, there are female abusers (as in this case) but the vast majority of family violence is male in origin or partnership.

Don't make a relationship a goal for women. We are taught it's better to have any man than no man. Support single mothers, make it a great thing. Make it financially possible. Make it a celebrated thing. I can't tell you how many men go on and on about being single dads because it gets them kudos but women are supposed to be ashamed.

Support women's charities, women's businesses and women's health. Happy, healthy women with choices make better ones.

Male circuit breakers need support too. Good intervention in schools when we see issues. Throw love and support at the bullies and arseholes. Lots of male role models and stop idolising men in the media who do terrible things. You hurt someone, you don't get in the TV any more.

Housing. When people aren't forced to be in housing with each other or stay there if they're abused, it's more dangerous.

And have eyes on the kids at school who aren't OK. There was a thread about drug dealers parents on here and everyone was saying their child wouldn't be friends with the kids. Mine would. She wouldn't be at their house! But at mine the child would bewelcome.

Kids need unpaid, friendly, concerned adults.

People say report but they were reported by several people and it was ignored so 🤷‍♀️

Children need to be given a voice so they can tell someone if they're being abused. I was badly abused and neglected as a child, but I couldn't say anything to my social worker because I knew my foster mother would find out and she'd have kicked me into next week. I had no one on my side and no one to tell. If my social worker had explained to me that everything would be in confidence and I wouldn't have been at risk by telling her I'd probably have been able to. Same with teachers. Children need a safe space to be heard, but those in authority need to realise that children must keep their abuse a secret or their abusers might literally kill them. It's a lot like abused women not wanting their abusive partner's to find out they've divulged the abuse otherwise they'll cop even more.

Also, abused and neglected children often don't know they're being abused or neglected. They think what they're experiencing is normal and of no particular consequence even though it's hurting them. They lack the insight and language to express themselves. Children need to be taught what is right and wrong and a way of safely divulging what's going on. If Childline had been around when I was young I think I might have phoned them.

Very young children like toddlers can't communicate adequately and rely on others to identify they're being abused, but a child from age four upwards can be helped to express themselves.

The comments I have read today about wanting the social workers involves named, shamed, and put on trial for this crime have been appalling.

I do not for a minute think these are social workers who were lazy or deliberately failed to help. They seem to have responsibility for way too many cases as there simply aren’t enough of them. I blame the government for that-not anyone who works in social care.

The UK gets the level of public services that it is prepared to pay for.

I am no Tory fan but how ridiculous to suggest that in voting for them you are voting for child abuse.

Baby P, Shannon Mathews, Rotherham grooming gangs, Victoria Climbié, all happened on a labour watch.

Yes I too am going to put a measure of blame on the Government - Sure Start centres were closed down in the name of Austerity, but the current Government has found plenty of money to throw at its mates.

@PoddingtonPea21

One common factor in all these cases is social services and the police and decisions not to act.

Flame me, I think they need to be held legally accountable for death by neglect of duty. Until that happens we'll see it again and again.

SWs have lots of these cases on their caseload. When I worked in the field I had cases all the time (multiple) with a risk of death or very serious harm. SWs have to be right 100% of the time. With limited resources, a massive caseload and hatred from the people you help. I know experienced SWs who are currently unemployed because of cuts. Don't vote for parties that hate social care FFS.

No amount of legal accountability (and BTW there already is that) will ever be more than the horrible weight of responsibility SWs feel. Either remove to what you know will likely be a life of abuse in foster care, or leave the child there, risking the same. Care leavers aren't OK you know. It isn't a happy child being removed to a loving adoptive home immediately. Care leavers have massive risks of every single bad measure (prison, suicide, drugs etc.).

Just think of the good that could have been done with the money chucked at the (useless, unless your company got a contract) "test and trace" scheme.

@manysummersago

I am no Tory fan but how ridiculous to suggest that in voting for them you are voting for child abuse.

Baby P, Shannon Mathews, Rotherham grooming gangs, Victoria Climbié, all happened on a labour watch.

And most social workers are lefties.

As individuals:
Put your weight on MPs to properly fund social care.
Lobby for more social workers so that their caseloads are manageable.
Don't feel scared to report your concerns to the police/SS/ Teacher
Don't tell yourself that it's not your business, or it's a snapshot moment, or turn a blind eye.

As social services:
A referral should trigger a full assessment, including a full paediatrician exam. A body injury checklist akin to those for rape cases would help.
An interview with a child without the alleged abuser present by a trained professional.
Any people with prior SS intervention for child abuse/neglect should be red-flagged and subject to unscheduled home visits.

As police:
Don't chicken out of checking out a house because someone's mouthing off at you - if they are comfortable doing that to a copper on the doorstep, spare a fucking thought for the kid indoors.
Don't threaten concerned relatives with arrest for harassment.
Accompany social workers to homes where there's a risk of kicking off.

MP's:
Change the fucking laws so that investigations are centered around the welfare and rights of a child, not the rights /demands of their legal guardian.
Change it so that a parent can legally refuse to send their child to the ex if they have evidence of a child not having a bed, proper food, clothes and bathing facilites.
Stop forcing parents to hand over children to their abusive violent ex. Violence toward the mother of his children IS child abuse in their home.

That would be a start.

I felt so saddened by the recent Case that I stayed up last night and did an online safeguarding course. I couldn't have slept anyway after listening to the recording of him, it will be haunting me for some time. I have already done courses in domestic violence and mental health awareness and various first aid type courses. I want to be able to help somebody if I am put in the situation too. I have had to report abuse before and I would do it again.

@Howshouldibehave

The comments I have read today about wanting the social workers involves named, shamed, and put on trial for this crime have been appalling.

I do not for a minute think these are social workers who were lazy or deliberately failed to help. They seem to have responsibility for way too many cases as there simply aren’t enough of them. I blame the government for that-not anyone who works in social care.

Have you actually followed the trial? The minute by minute accounts of what’s happened? I don’t see how anyone could be saying that if they had. The social workers in this case acted terribly. They failed to do their jobs, no doubt about it whatsoever. Cuts or budgets or overworked aside, a child died partly because they failed to take the appropriate action. Or any action. I’m not saying we should name and shame them etc but I do understand peoples intense anger towards them.