Daniel Pelka SCR: Practitioners must be bolder in acting on concerns, says sector

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the serious case review (SCR) revealed a “basic lack of real action to protect Daniel” from the agencies involved in the case.

He said: “Too often people failed to look at Daniel like they would their own child. He was clearly not okay and it’s not clear if anyone sought to establish his feelings with him in his own language as his parents’ excuses just didn’t add up.
 
“The police and other services were involved with the family many times about his parents’ domestic violence and alcohol issues – on at least 27 occasions.

“Everyone who has contact with troubled families through any role, particularly adult-focused services, needs to think about every person in that house.
 
“There must be a culture change from process-driven box-ticking to child-aware curiosity; a willingness to question excuses; and a resolve to record and follow through with appropriate urgency whenever we see a child suffering. Professionals must act on their instincts when they feel something could be seriously wrong, not wait until they are certain.”

Chair of The College of Social Work Jo Cleary said the report highlighted that all the professionals involved in Daniel’s case – social workers, teachers, health visitors, doctors and the police – did not have a clear and accurate picture of what life was really like for him.
 
She said: "Everyone involved in working with children must be unrelenting in their focus on the child and their needs and on making sure that children's voices are heard.”