LIVING HELL
Teen mum left homeless & forced to sleep in park with her two babies after being kicked out of cockroach-infested home
A child safeguarding practice review found the authorities had made a number of mistakes
A TEEN mum was forced to sleep in a park with her two babies after she was made homeless having been kicked out of a cockroach-infested home.
The woman, who may have been sexually exploited, said she had been living on the streets for three weeks.
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She had been surviving on £140 in child benefit and “cash in hand” money earned by her husband.
Her Universal Credit had been stopped a year before as her immigration status had not been settled.
The shocking details of the woman’s story were recounted in a child safeguarding review into the mum’s life and her three children, who had suffered neglect while living in Bradford and elsewhere.
Medical examinations carried out by child protection found that Danuka, 2, and Sara, 11 months, (neither their real names) were in “significant pain” due to their injuries.
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Danuka had liver damage and fractured ribs while Sara suffered from severe nappy rash.
The report commended the social worker who visited the family home for her swift response in ensuring the girls were quickly taken to hospital.
The mum, from Eastern Europe with a Romani background had at least six different men in her life, but the authorities were not aware of the exact nature of those relationships, and there were indications of possible exploitation.
When the woman was aged around 13-14 she was living in her country of origin but when she returned to the UK aged 14 she was five months pregnant.
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She claimed she did not remember how she got pregnant due to “being drunk”.
The family's engagement with health services was described in the report as “intermittent” between April 2016 and October 2018.
I live on ROUNDABOUT with my wife in makeshift shanty town - we’re set on fire & beaten by thugs but we have no choice
When the woman was 17, she went to live with a man about whom the authorities had concerns of sexual abuse and exploitation.
Aged 19, Bradford Children's Social Care was told about police call outs to the family home due to threats from the mum's partner.
There were nine incidents of concern over an eight-week period from February to April 2020.
Bradford social services got two anonymous tips that the mum was in a relationship with a violent man and she was using drugs.
Social services then got another anonymous referral a week later claiming the mum was taking crystal meth in the street while her daughter Danuka was with her.
A social worker, however, concluded the referral had been made maliciously due to a dispute with the landlord, according to .
The report also notes there were four incidents which involved the police that do not appear to have been shared with Bradford social services.
'ESCALATING CONCERNS'
Between February and March 2021 there were “escalating concerns” regarding the unmet health needs of both Danuka and Sara due to missed health appointments.
When a health visitor did a home visit, the house was found to be chaotic and overcrowded by they noted there were “warm interactions” between the mum and her children.
It was also noted there were signs of drugs being bought from the house by young women.
This was shared with a social worker but no action was taken.
INFESTED WITH COCKROACHES
Sexual health services visited the mum at home in June 2021 and were concerned about the state of the house which was infested with cockroaches.
A Stanley knife was also found on the floor, within reach of the children.
In September, a member of the public found the mum, a man she described as her husband and two young children sleeping in a park late at night.
At the time, Danuka was just 20 months and Sara nine months old.
EMERGENCY HOUSING
Emergency housing was provided.
A housing assessment concluded because the mum did not have settled immigration status, she was not entitled to housing assistance.
The mum said she had been evicted and was living on £140 a month in child benefit.
The family was given temporary accommodation in a hostel which was inhabited by drug users and sex workers.
ACCOMODATION UNSUITABLE
Police said the accommodation was completely unsuitable for the children as they had no beds to sleep in and there were safety issues.
No action was taken though to address these issues.
A project worker told a social worker in December 2021 the mum and her partner were taking drugs and the children were being left home alone.
The social worker tried to visit the hostel twice in the following two weeks but no one was at home.
The report stated: "This was not a sufficiently robust response.”
The children became the responsibility of a new team just two weeks after the original concerns had been shared and an “appropriate review” was carried out.
An immediate home visit was carried out where the mum and boyfriend were found to be under the influence of drugs.
CHILDREN WITH UNEXPLAINED INJURIES
The cops were called and the two children were found to have unexplained injuries.
The mum and boyfriend were arrested and the children placed with foster carers.
MISTAKES MADE
A number of mistakes made by the authorities in their involvement with the family were highlighted in a child safeguarding practice review.
It noted no one had established the mum’s immigration status and had assumed it was settled when in reality she had no settled status and was not entitled to public funds or housing.
The family was living on child benefit because the mum’s Universal Credit has been stopped a year before.
It also highlighted the need for a robust response to domestic abuse to increase the safety of survivors and the children.
The report added: "There is a long history of mother being subject to domestic abuse, incidents described as disputes, threats to kill or harassment and being sexually exploited from when she was 14 years to the date of the critical incident, a period of seven years, involving six different men.”
The report also said each incident was treated in isolation and no cumulative picture was drawn up.
It said there was evidence of neglected care provided to the babies by the mum and possibly other adults which became worse over time.
In a statement, Janice Hawkes, Independent Scrutineer of the Bradford Safeguarding Partnership, said: "It is very clear that the mother and children involved in this case did not receive the services they needed.
“This independent review clearly identifies a number of cultural assumptions that were made and steps that were missed.
“The author acknowledges that this case had several complicating factors and it occurred at the start of the Covid pandemic, but this should not have resulted in the mistakes that happened.
"As a partnership, we fully take on board the recommendations and learning that the author has laid out in this review.
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“Since this case took place, a considerable amount of work has been put in place by those services who work with children and families to prevent mistakes like this happening again.
“We will be working with those services to make sure these recommendations are being fully put into practice."
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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