An investigation into the death of a 10-week-old baby, who died the day after his family were evicted from their home, has criticised a housing association for failing to consider the impact of ending the tenancy.
Baby ‘John’ was found dead in September 2013 after his mother had fallen asleep with him on a sofa.
According to Inside Housing:
“A Serious Case Review by the Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) published this month has highlighted a number of failings by agencies which failed to share vital information.
The baby was born prematurely in June and social services became involved soon after due to concerns over neglect and the mother’s ability to cope with the boy and his sister.
The housing association, which is not named in the report in order to protect the identity of the family, pressed ahead with the eviction due to rent arrears and the family moved into the small home of the father’s parents.
A sleeping plan was agreed with a social worker but this included taking the baby downstairs if he woke during the night.
He died after his mother fell asleep with him on the sofa on the first night.
The review found the housing association did not know about the involvement of social services but was aware of John’s birth.
The report added: “The focus became centred on eviction and not the support and vulnerability of the children, and the family was not appreciated.”
The report continued: “There was no liaison between the housing provider, the local housing authority and any of the other agencies involved with the family about the impending eviction and the impact this might have on the family.”
WSCB said the housing association has begun holding case reviews with offices involved with a family before eviction, with information shared with social services.
New roles have been created focusing on working with tenants at risk of eviction and staff have undergone safeguarding training.”