AIBU to be furious that all the finger pointing in the Daniel Pelka case...

[PeriodFeatures]

Is being aimed towards the Head of Children Services and there is no mention of the Doctor that misdiagnosed this little boy with an eating disorder ? I mean FFS what kind of eating disorder leads a child to picking up food off a floor and scavenging in bins...

[Caster8]

Jambalay, euphamism and others.

Are you saying that it does not matter how incompetent teachers, or social services or doctors or other workers are, that they bear no responsibility at all?

Why should they do their jobs then?
Why should they get paid, in part, for this sort of stuff.

[Caster8]

And if a neighbour were not to report, they too would bear no responsibility?

How wonderful.
Easy Peasy.
Ignore everything that is happening around you.

I'm all innocent.

[anklebitersmum]

The Mother and Stepfather are to blame. Manipulative, sadistic specimens that they are.

The trouble is that no-one is willing to cross the line to help anymore because the 'system' would bite them so hard that they are risking their own livlihood by 'interfering beyond their official remit'.

It's the same insidious culture shift that means that people walk past as they see someone being mugged not that they've seen anything if asked , or close their windows and shut the curtains when the screams outside get too loud to hear the telly.

[anklebitersmum]

I feel sorry for most of those who had serious concerns but floundered on the rocks of beaurocracy that they didn't have the strength of character to do something, anything more than follow the rules. I wouldn't want to have to live with this 'if only' myself.

[OneStepCloser]

Blimey, a HT will have in depth training to CP, there are procedures to follow and it is not down to Teacher or TA to reports concerns to an agency, it is for them to inform the HT and/or a CP officer within a school and for them to liase with other staff to start a report. From the court case it does seem as though the HT was not as thorough as perhaps he should have been, there seems some criticism with Coventrys SS as well, so yes this little boy was failed by some of the responsible adults and agencies around him. The HT decided that his black eyes were not bad enough to report, so that was just written in a concern book.

Yes, of course the mother and boyfriend are ultimately responsible but that does not mean that others involved in his life did not let him down, if you work with children you work for their welfare, and it seems no one was.

[Caster8]

Do other people have responsibilites, anklebitersmum?

[xylem8]

The problem as I see is it is lack of communication.Everybody has one piece of the jigsaw so nobody sees the overall picture.
A dodgy leg fracture could be explained by a leg being twisted as he fell off a bike, the skinniness as a metabolic disorder.
Had the community paediatrician known about the bruises to the neck that the teacher had seen he may have come to a different conclusion.
I thought a national register of all children had been put in place, where any professional could log their concerns so that the whole picture could be seen.
Of course SW should be accountable for his death.They are being paid from the public purse precisely to prevent this sort of thing happening.If they are not doing that then there is no point having them!

[OctopusPete8]

I think ppl always want someone to blame,

his grandmother was v. concerned but did nothing.

[anklebitersmum]

Oh gosh, I believe so Caster8

As I said, it's all around us. Neighbours and friends and family who claim to see nothing, other parents who do nothing more than tutt and huff over their respective fences. Don't we all have a responsibility to each other and especially to children in an allegedly civilised society?

Maybe I over-simplify but I'm afraid my moral compass points due North.

[Caster8]

So if people have responsibilities, and do things wrong, they should not be blamed at all?
Is that what you and others are saying?

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

Caster8 - how do you believe the teachers were incompetent? They reported their concerns. They were fobbed off by a doctor who didn't have the bigger picture - as it seems neither did social services.

Something, somewhere has gone wrong but, the people abusing him, who eventually murdered him - the 'blame' lies with them.

[Wellthen]

WTF? I'm furious at this finger pointing so I think I'll do some finger pointing! Never heard anything so ridiculous. Another disgusting thread from people who are basing their entire knowledge of this case on the press.

[anklebitersmum]

Caster8 Did you actually read my posts?

You can not place the blame on people when they clearly were doing all they could do within the legal remit of their position.

This pair of monsters were clearly highly manipulative and fooled many officials along the way to taking Daniels life.

[GoshAnneGorilla]

The problem is you get people going on about "snapshots" and going on about stressed mothers and the family needing support, all very well intentioned, but it doesn't protect children from their abusers.

This is a very interesting article by Martin Narey:Daniel Pelka might have been saved by more sceptical social services | Martin Narey

gu.com/p/3hm77

We have to move away from this mentality of "keeping the family together at all costs" because all it leads to is the needs of the parents being prioritised over the needs of the child.

[Viviennemary]

Of course the parents are to blame. But maybe there should be more rigorous guidelines for schools for picking up children who could be 'at risk'. Though this could cause trouble if innocent parents are suspected of neglect or worse. They both deserve to be locked up for good. IMO.

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

The serious review report is due in six weeks.

They got life, with 30 years minimum. Good.

[RedHelenB]

What would you actually have done though anklebiter's mum?

[BinarySolo]

There was very telling CCTV footage of him leaving the school for the last time trailing about 10 foot behind his mother. It didn't paint the picture of a caring parent, but again in isolation it means nothing.

[2rebecca]

I hate it when evil parents and step parents kill or abuse a child and the health and social services professionals are the ones the media and public goes for for not being psychic and omniscient.
I don't think it's coincidence that many of these cases involve people who come to the UK from other countries. It's much easier to fool social services and doctors if you can say lots of tests have been done elsewhere or accuse them of not respecting your culture or hide behind not understanding the language.
The doctors and social workers and teachers didn't kill this boy.

[Spikeytree]

I'm a secondary school teacher and a girl in my form disclosed neglect and abuse by a drug-addicted parent to me. I went straight to our designated child protection officer, and it was reported to SS. After hours spent in meetings we were informed that yes, the parent was a heroin addict, and there were signs of neglect but no proof of abuse. No action would be taken. The parent removed the girl from school and despite regular visits from a SW and pastoral staff she has not yet been returned. I believe they are moving borough. No doubt this will all be repeated again.

It haunts me.

[anklebitersmum]

RedHelenB Without being in the situation I can't say for sure..let's just say if I knew the boy well enough to take him home and create a bloody big spotlight (even at my expense) on what was going on then I just might have done so.

Failing that I'd have been making phone calls and e-mailing people as high up the chain as I could go and as publicly as possible if I genuinely felt something was so far out of whack..which it clearly was.

Sounds all very 'of course you would' but those who know me in RL know that once I've locked on target that's me

[Eyesunderarock]

'We have to move away from this mentality of "keeping the family together at all costs" because all it leads to is the needs of the parents being prioritised over the needs of the child.'

Yes. Absolutely this.

[Eyesunderarock]

Anklebiter's mum, you kidnap a child, even with the child's consent and you will be jailed, however good your intentions.

[xylem8]

As I said, it's all around us. Neighbours and friends and family who claim to see nothing, other parents who do nothing more than tutt and huff over their respective fences.

..and what do you suggest they do, when SS are involved and do nothing?

[xylem8]

can anybody clarify whether there is a national register ofchildren.I remember it being proposed years ago