'Improvements needed' in wake of toddler's death (From Gazette & Herald)

'Improvements needed' in wake of toddler's death

CALLS for better communications between social services, the police and health services have been made following a major inquiry into the death of a Ryedale toddler.

Improvements to investigations into child deaths, hospital record keeping, and communications in the NHS have been called for in a report by the North

Yorkshire Area Child Protection Committee, following a probe it carried out into the death of 13-month-old Kieron Brown, of Malton.

Kieron died in December 2000 after suffering severe injuries at the hands of Pickering builder Kevin Raw who was jailed for life last year for his murder.

Raw, 40, of Elm Drive, Pickering, was said at his trial at Leeds Crown Court to have inflicted so many injuries and broke so many bones that Keiron resembled a car crash victim.

Yesterday, Scarborough and North-East Yorkshire NHS Trust was told by Dr Ian Holland, the medical director, that action had been taken to meet the recommendations of the case review into Kieron's death, and the recommendations made in the Laming Report into the death of Victoria Climie.

He said the Trust was working to improve communications and to develop safer working practices.

In its report, the Child Protection Committee said it carried out such an inquiry when a child dies and abuse or neglect are known or suspected to be

a factor in the death.

"Following receipt of the pathologist's report, the chairman of the area child protection committee concluded that, although the mode of death was undetermined, there were significant injuries which were highly suspicious of non-accidental injuries," said the report.

"There was a need to examine the difficulties which arose in communication between the police and social services immediately following the death.

"The report concludes that in this case there is evidence immediately following Kieron's death of an inability of staff from health, the police and social services to share information appropriately, to provide a co-ordinated response and to effectively undertake what was, in effect, a child protection investigation."

The committee added: "The police senior investigating officer appears to have decided that the child protection investigation should be subordinate to the criminal investigation. This should, in the unanimous view of the committee members, not be the case."

Updated: 10:59 Wednesday, February 23, 2005