"Yet again, we face the endless heart-searching and recrimination about why a young child was left to die in dreadful circumstances (Life for couple who tortured boy of four to death, 3 August). Whenever these terrible events occur - be they child neglect, a hospital scandal, a maternal death, a suicide or a homicide - a lengthy inquiry is launched. These inquiries all identify the same problems (failure in communication, unwillingness to report risk and failure to act) and invariably result in the same recommendations we've heard numerous times before. But experience shows us that these recommendations are rarely implemented. The solutions may be complex and involve more resources, time and money, but we need to take start taking action. Instead of wasting more money on inquiries, let's get the whole of social care, medicine and all public-sector agencies working together.
We need people to stop being fearful of raising concerns, and we need systems to respond in an appropriate way when they do. Let's not wait for another tragedy to happen.
Professor Sue Bailey
President, Royal College of Psychiatrists...
...That different professionals find it hard to communicate with one another is a recurring theme of serious case reviews, undertaken when a child dies or is seriously harmed following abuse or neglect. But a more striking finding of these reviews is that all kinds of adults who are paid to protect and care for children consistently ignore the child's perspective. The law requires social workers to give due consideration to the child's wishes and feelings when considering action to protect them. Our learning from the death of Daniel Pelka must therefore start with the question: did anybody listen to him?
Carolyne Willow
Nottingham"
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/04/hard-lessons-daniel-pelkaIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
