No action over Child K social worker ‘failings’
A social worker blamed for failings after a baby boy suffered catastrophic injuries will not face any action, we can reveal.
Child K – whose identity is protected by law – should have been on the ‘at risk’ register.
But a social worker failed to act on earlier concerns after his older brother suffered unexplained injuries.
An independent investigation has criticised the Manchester council employee. Town hall bosses say they would have taken disciplinary action had the worker not left before the failings came to light.
A council spokeswoman said that because the unnamed social worker had left, they had not been able to refer the employee to the General Social Care Council, who have the power to strike off failing social workers.
Council leader Sir Richard Leese said there should be a review of any system that enabled someone to walk away with a clean record if they were culpable.
The council will now discuss issues raised in the case with the GSCC.
Child K was left severely disabled, just months after social services failed to take action over concerns about his brother.
Last year a court was told Child K was in the care of Chantelle Raschid, 21, or Nicholas Muhanza, 23, and one of them must have been responsible for injuries more commonly seen following a car crash.
Child K was taken to hospital with multiple fractures to his skull, collarbones, arms and legs. But because it could not be proved who had harmed the child, Muhanza was cleared of neglect. Raschid was given a suspended eight month jail sentence on a separate assault and neglect charge.
The independent report said: “The staff member has left the authority and so no explanation can be sought.”