Tragedy as baby in dirty drug addict home died at just a few weeks old
01.05.2022 - 20:07
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A baby tragically died at less than one month old shortly after a meeting showed ‘no real improvements’ in her home following neglect concerns.
Mia, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was on a child protection plan when she died and her cause of death is not known.
However, toxicology tests, which checked for drugs or other chemicals, were negative.
Mia’s mother had been struggling with depression and finding it hard to cope with her large family. Despite being on a drug treatment plan, Mia’s dad continued to abuse crack cocaine and heroin.
Conditions at her home in Teesside were described as “extremely poor” and her siblings were often “dirty and dishevelled”.
A review into the tragedy has also exposed how the covid pandemic severely hampered efforts to protect children - with social workers only able to make checks through a window.
Mia’s family was not well known to professionals in Middlesbrough as they only moved into the area in early 2020, report Teesside Live. However, by March 2020 a child protection plan was made for Mia’s older siblings, before her birth.
The report by South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership states: “It soon became apparent that there were indicators of neglect of the children in this large family…The concerns were specifically about the impact on the children of Mia’s father’s significant and long-term substance misuse and the ability of their mother to protect them from the effects of this.”
The report has not shared how many children Mia’s mum has so the family’s identity is not revealed but it is “much higher than average”. Following an Ofsted inspection in December 2019, Middlesbrough’s children’s social care services were rated as “inadequate”, however, a