Alisha Allen Case: ‘Blow The Whistle’, Social Workers Told

SOCIAL services staff have been told to “whistleblow” in order to prevent a repeat of the failings which led to the death of five-month-old Alisha Allen.

With parallels to the now infamous Baby P case, medical staff failed to spot or act on warning signs that Alisha was suffering at the hands of her bullying father Gary Allen, 26.

Her 31-year-old educationally sub-normal mother Claire Morton was also unable to cope at the family home in Marigold Crescent, Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

Allen was jailed for manslaughter for five years, claiming a sudden loss of temper caused him to shake the child to death. Morton admitted causing or allowing her baby’s death and received a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, when the couple were sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court in September.

A Serious Case Review, like one into the Baby P case, was launched into children’s services in Sunderland and County Durham and health services provided by the City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust and Sunderland Primary Care Trust.

Although the review found a chain of serious errors, no one will resign for the failings which led to Alisha being removed from the “at risk” register following her family’s move two miles from one local authority, Sunderland, to neighbouring County Durham.

One of the review inspectors’ recommendations is that managers at both Sunderland and County Durham social services departments must feel “confident in raising concerns about supervision with more senior managers including, if necessary, whistleblowing procedures”.

Senior County Durham social services managers failed to attend a case conference on Alisha after the family moved into the county from Penshaw, Sunderland, and removed the baby from the At Risk register despite pleas from the case worker in Sunderland – the only person present at the conference who was acquainted with the Allen family – that she should be registered At Risk.

North Durham MP Kevan Jones said: “She should be commended, but she wasn’t listened to by more senior staff.

“In any other walk of life, heads would roll, but no one seems to be taking responsibility and that is what is unacceptable.”

Gail Hopper, chairman of Durham Local Safeguarding Children Board, said recommendations would be acted on to improve how cases are managed and also transferred between authorities.

She said: “All of the agencies involved are extremely sorry about the death of Alisha and very much regret that Alisha and her family did not receive the level of support they needed.”

Nigel Martin, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Durham County Council, said: “This tragic case shows yet again the vital importance of having robust and effective procedures in place to ensure the protection of vulnerable children.

“The review shows that there were too many gaps in the procedures that should have protected Alisha. The shortcomings of several organisations and individuals contributed to the failure to do so.

“The county council has rightly apologised for its failings in this case. I have sought, and received, assurances that in the two years since Alisha’s death, the review recommendations have been acted upon to ensure this can never happen again.

“The public has the right to be assured that all the recommendations of the review have been implemented by everyone concerned.”