UK CPS FAIL
The Bristol Safeguarding Children Board reviewed the methadone overdose case of 23-month old Jayden Lee Green and concluded that the welfare agencies missed 50 opportunities to intervene for his safety!
Jayden was found dead in his parent’s bed in August 2011. He was given methadone to sedate him by his crack cocaine and heroin-addicted parents Jamie Green and Sonia Britton” in a filthy flat in the St Georges area of Bristol.”
“Before his birth there were concerns that Britton was regularly injecting heroin while also taking methadone during the pregnancy. Following his birth he became subject of a child protection plan but that was discontinued.
A second child protection plan was commenced but moves to take Jayden Lee into care were never initiated, the review said.”
Lack of “Authoritative Challenge”
“During this time Green and Britton continued to use heroin and methadone and were also were falsifying regular urine tests. They pair later admitted they ‘knew the tricks to get around screening’.
The report also found that there was a lack of co-operation from Jayden Lee’s parents with all involved in dealing with them. This included drug agencies, midwifery, housing, health visitors, social workers and there were also regular failures to keep appointments or be at home when visits were made.
The report stated: ‘What was lacking was the authoritative challenge to this lack of co-operation, there was a lack of enforcement of consequences. There was a lack of challenge by practitioners across the range of agencies.'”
“‘The only way that Child K’s death would definitely have been prevented was if he had been placed away from his parents.
‘The opportunity to do this was lost due to the failure to follow through on the initiation of care proceedings. However, a better-planned and authoritative approach to the family may also have prevented his death.’
It was revealed today that Jayden Lee suffered two head injuries – one at seven weeks and one at 11 weeks – and his parents gave the same explanation.
The report stated that this should have raised concerns that the injuries were not accidental.
The boy also sustained injuries to his face at 21 and 23 months old and again the same explanations were given when he was seen by medical professionals.”
“After a three week trial at Bristol Crown Court, Green was convicted of manslaughter and causing cruelty to a child and jailed for nine years.
The jury cleared Britton of manslaughter but convicted her of child cruelty and causing or allowing the death of a child. She was jailed for four years.
The trial heard that there were bags of rubbish lying around their one-bedroom ground floor rented flat, as well as drug paraphernalia kept in cupboards and crack pipes under the sink.
A rolled up cigarette was found in a child’s cot and there were also dirty potties.
Both his parents were prescribed methadone and scientific tests showed the fatal dose administered to Jayden Lee was not the first time he had been given the drug.”
Committee Recommendations
“‘Many of the recommendations outlined in the findings of the report have already been implemented, including a new working group on substance misuse, revised guidance and protocol for practitioners, a review of services for drug-using patients and arrangements for prescribing methadone.
‘Two events to improve and strengthen communications are under way.
‘Our legal team has introduced new guidelines on how legal advice is given and improved monitoring of the progress of cases.'”
[Daily Mail 9/4/12 by Emily Allen]
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