Infant boy suffers brain damage and blindness after attack by father
A newborn baby was left with a severe brain injury after being attacked by his father on a hospital ward in Huddersfield, England, a report has revealed.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, sustained the injury within five days of birth in August 2007 after he and his mother were moved to a side ward where they could not be watched so frequently.
The boy now suffers from cerebral palsy, blindness and epilepsy following his ordeal at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary in West Yorkshire.
A report published by Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board criticised care professionals for failing to protect the infant.
It concluded: "When considered together there was a powerful mixture of worrying factors that in isolation may not have caused a high level of anxiety in this case, but when considered together painted a different and more worrying picture: very young parents, poor history of being parented themselves, proven domestic violence incidents, substance misuse, parental mental ill-health, hostility and a history of hostility, and lack of co-operation with Children's Social Care."
A judge found that the father was responsible for the child's injuries and that the mother was at least complicit in hiding the truth. The police investigation into the child's injuries has not yet been concluded, the report said.
A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council said: "We are continuing to work closely with partner agencies to improve pre-birth planning and services for families where domestic violence is an issue so that the welfare of all family members, including unborn children who may become victims of abuse, is carefully considered.
"We monitor working practices on an ongoing basis to ensure improvements are made where necessary, but we also welcome this review as a means for all the agencies involved to identify lessons that need to be learned to improve inter-agency working and better safeguarding for children."
A second serious case review revealed details of a four-week-old girl who died from apparent asphyxiation in July 2008 after sleeping on her father's chest. The child was the subject of a child protection plan and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, the report revealed.
The report said: "There was clear evidence of a risk of significant harm to the child which, while recognised by relevant individuals and organisations, did not appear to have led to effective planning and safeguarding arrangements."
A spokeswoman for the council added: "As the serious case review confirms, there was no evidence of physical injury, systematic neglect or of the professionals involved showing a lack of due care and concern with regard to protective arrangements."
