An 11-month-old baby named Theo Taylor-Maloney drowned in a bath in Manchester after being left alone for 12 minutes.
An investigation found that social services failed to respond to many warnings about neglect in the family.
Theo died in October 2020, just two days before his first birthday. His parents, Jessica Taylor and Michael Maloney, were in another room using their phones while Theo was in the bath, says BBC report.
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Both parents were later convicted of neglect and given suspended prison sentences in July 2023.
The family lived in Wythenshawe and was already known to Manchester Children’s Services.
A serious case review revealed that between 2017 and 2020, there were 17 separate warnings made to authorities about the children’s safety.
Eleven of those reports were about neglect, including poor supervision that had caused injuries in the past.
Most of the concerns were raised by friends and neighbours, but some also came from professionals like a police officer, a GP, and a children’s centre worker.
The review said that social services did not properly act on the repeated reports of neglect.
It also said that Theo’s mother was often left to care for the children alone and was struggling without enough support.
Manchester City Council said it was very sorry about what happened and is working on improving how social workers respond to serious cases.
A spokesperson said all agencies involved must learn from this tragic event to better protect children in the future.
