Haringey criticised over scalding case

An independent serious case review into the scalding of a
two-year-old boy has criticised Haringey Council in London.

The boy, who cannot be identified, pulled a kettle of boiling water
over himself in February 2003, burning 28 per cent of his
body.

Despite an earlier council child protection investigation
concluding that the incident was an accident, the serious case
review finds poor record-keeping and a lack of communication
between GPs, health visitors, social workers and mental health
service workers at Barnet, Enfield and Haringey mental health
trust.

Just two months before the incident, the boy’s mother was diagnosed
with a depressive disorder with psychotic features, including
fabricated induced illness syndrome.

Ron Aitken, Liberal Democrat social services spokesperson for
Haringey, said the case showed a lack of thinking outside
individual workers’ narrow professional remits.

Anne Bristow, Haringey’s social services director, insisted that,
although there might have been better working together, “that was
not likely to stop the accident happening”.

But she added that, as a result of the review, risk assessments of
parents with mental health problems would now include their
children.