Wolverhampton safeguarding board apologises for failing to protect toddler

Wolverhampton Safeguarding Children Board has apologised to the parents of three-year-old Ryan Lovell-Hancox for missing numerous opportunities to protect him.

Ryan died from a brain haemorrhage in December 2008 after being abused at the home of Kayley Boleyn and her boyfriend Christopher Taylor. The pair were jailed for life for Ryan’s murder last year.

The three-year-old had been living with the couple because his mother, Amy Hancox, was finding it difficult to cope with two young children. Boleyn, who was the mother’s cousin, and Taylor agreed to look after Ryan in exchange for payment.

The serious case review into Ryan’s death concluded that agencies failed to protect him, despite the fact that Hancox, Boleyn and Taylor were known to social services, the police and adult mental health services, among others.
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Hancox had been in contact with a local support agency, the health visiting service and a nursery. These agencies were all aware that she had childcare needs, but none carried out a parental capacity assessment.

Boleyn was in receipt of leaving care services, through Wolverhampton’s contractor at the time, Shaftesbury Young People. But Shaftesbury failed to monitor her properly and was unaware that she had allowed Taylor and Ryan to move in with her.

Taylor had a history of alcohol and drug abuse, had spent time in an in-patient unit because of mental health problems and had been assessed as a child protection risk.

The review said: “Each agency involved was focused on the immediate task in hand and had failed to consider the wider picture. It may be that staff are overburdened, and so the time and space required to think through the difficult cases is simply not there.”

It also criticised a lack of joint working and proper record keeping, saying there was “no evidence of effective communication or liaison between the different agencies”.

The report said Wolverhampton Council should review its child protection assessment procedures to make sure that children are physically seen by staff.

It recommended that guidance be issued to remind social workers that proper checks must be carried out when a looked-after child moves in with a boyfriend or girlfriend and suggested that the adult mental health service review its procedures to make sure relevant agencies are notified if a patient poses a risk to children.

At a press conference, Bill Anderson, chair of Wolverhampton Safeguarding Children Board, said the board is deeply sorry that agencies failed to protect Ryan.

“I would also like to say directly to this child’s family how sorry we are for your tragic loss and the pain you have had to bear since your child’s death,” he said.

“Such a tragedy is rare but that in itself only makes the failure of agencies to protect vulnerable children seem all the greater, and within that failure we must vigorously and openly ask what we can do to ensure there are no such further tragedies for children and their families.”