Case study 2

Referral to children’s social care duty team:

The Slater family consists of:

Darren, 28, father of Jasmine and Lottie. Part time employed White British.

Sally , 25 mother. Housewife, mixed-race British

Children:

Jasmine aged 3, attends local toddler club.

Lottie aged 6 months.

Sally attended a special needs school for children who had a learning disability. Darren left main stream school aged 13 and finished education in a Pupil Referral Unit (for children excluded from main stream school). Darren works evenings at a local supermarket.

They live in a housing association second floor maisonette in receipt of universal credit. They have experienced some difficulties with managing the new payments that are provided monthly.

Their home is sparsely furnished and some furniture, doors and plaster walls look as though they have been hit. The couple have no contact with their immediate families other than Sally’s sister Jade. Jade does not like Darren so they do not see each other very often. Jade tries to visit once a month in the evening when Darren is at work. They have a small circle of friends whom Jade claims take drugs at Darren and Sally’s flat and also ‘take advantage of the couple stealing, and camping out there sometimes for days’. Jade has reported concerns to social care in the past.

The Learning Disability Partnership professionals are involved with Sally and say that the two children are loved and cared for, albeit at times in a haphazard way.

Incident:
Jade, Sally’s sister visited last night. When she arrived four people who were in the flat got up and left. She reported that the lounge was smoky, had empty beer cans around and that is smelt like marijuana had been used. Jasmine was not asleep but was crying and in her bedroom knocking on her bedroom door. Lottie was asleep in the push chair in her room. Jade reports that these ‘friends’ are not ‘suitable’ for Sally and that Sally cannot control them in her house. Sally told Jade that she had taken Jasmine to the hospital yesterday as she had burnt her fingers getting toast out of the toaster.

There is a report from the hospital in the duty emails also, with concerns for Jasmine and her access to the toaster. The hospital also report that they examined the baby and she was in smelly wet clothes and her body was ingrained with dirt.