Judge criticises ‘wholly inapproriate’ social work evidence but refuses to name council

A family court judge has criticised social services staff over their handing of a case involving an injured baby, but kept the name of the council they work for secret.

Judge Thomas Greensmith said the way a social worker had gathered and recorded evidence had been “wholly inappropriate”.

He also said social services staff had failed to follow guidelines when questioning the baby’s four-year-old sister.

The judge has made criticisms in a written ruling after analysing the case at a private hearing in a family court in Liverpool earlier this month.

He said council social services bosses had asked him to decide how a baby girl had suffered a broken clavicle when eight weeks old.

The judge concluded that the injury occurred accidentally when the baby’s four-year-old sister tripped and fell on top of her when she was lying on a changing mat.

Judge Greensmith said the nothing could be reported which would identify the children and he named the council involved only as a “local authority”.

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