Thursday, March 8, 2012

Baby P Timeline of events

This timeline shows the many events that happened during baby P's short life. It just highlights how many services he came into contact with and how many missed opportunities their were to help him.

March 1 2006: Baby P is born. He lives with his father and mother in Haringey, north London.

May 2 2006: Baby P's first visit to GP. He is suffering from vomiting and returns on May 26 with a similar complaint.

July 17 2006: The baby's father leaves the family home in Haringey.

October 13 2006: Baby P, now eight months old, is taken to his GP with bruising on the side of his head and chest. The mother claims he has fallen down the stairs.

November/December 2006: The mother's 32-year-old boyfriend moves in to the family home.

December 11 2006: Baby P is taken to his GP with a head injury, bruising to the bridge of the nose, sternum, right shoulder and buttocks. The mother is "flustered" and cannot give an explanation. Baby P is referred to the paediatric department at the Whittington hospital near Highgate for a skeletal scan and blood-clotting tests. The mother claims Baby P has fallen off the settee and been scratched by the dog. Baby P Is referred to social services.

December 12 2006: Haringey social services strategy meeting considers Baby P's case.

December 15 2006: Baby P is discharged from hospital into the care of his mother's friend. A police investigation begins.

December 19 2006: The mother and grandmother of Baby P are arrested for assaulting the child and bailed to return on January 11 2007 (the grandmother has never been charged with any offence in relation to the case).

December 22 2006: Baby P's name is placed on the Haringey child protection register for neglect and physical abuse.

January 26 2007: Baby P returns to the care of his mother. She is still on police bail after December arrest for assaulting the child.

February 2007: The mother, partner and baby are moved to a bigger council home in north London.

February 22 2007: Allocated social worker Maria Ward makes her first visit to the new house. The mother complains about Baby P's name going on the register. She denies causing the bruising.

March 2 2007: Second visit by Ward, together with health visitor Paulette Thomas, the day after Baby P's first birthday. Ward sees the child butting the floor and refers him to the child development centre. The mother admits "taking her eye off the ball" after her separation with the father but claims to be back on track.

March 8 2007: Arranged visit by Ward. Baby P is seen banging his head on the sofa.

March 22 2007: Ward notices Baby P has a red mark on the side of his chin. The mother claims he bumped into a side table at her friend's home. Thomas completes a one-year check and reports "no concerns".

April 7 2007: Baby P is seen by a family friend sitting in the garden with a large bruise on his forehead eating dirt. He is very quiet and withdrawn.

April 9 2007: The mother takes Baby P to North Middlesex hospital with a large swelling and bruising on the left side of his head and a small bruise on his right cheek. She claims he was pushed over by an 18-month-old child and hit his head on a marble fireplace the previous Thursday, April 5.

Baby P also has bruising around the eyes, scratches to his face and earlobe, and headlice. The CT scan is normal. Social services are informed and a diagnosis of possible meningitis is made. Social services provide the family with a fireguard.

April 11 2007: Baby P is discharged from hospital.

June 1 2007: Baby P, now 15 months old, is visited unannounced by Ward. He is lying on the sofa under a blanket. His face is red with some bruising under the chin and a red line under his eye. His mother claims he has been in a fight with the 18-month-old child.

The social worker informs the police and tells the mother to see the GP. The boy is taken to the North Middlesex hospital. Medical staff find 12 areas of bruising. The mother is worried the baby may be taken away but social services arrange for a family friend to supervise the baby's care.

June 5 2007: The mother is arrested for a second time and questioned by police. She claims she is a "damn good mum".

June 6 2007: Baby P is taken to Lordship Lane health clinic. Health visitor Thomas notes he has lost weight since March and sees scabs on his head. The mother claims he has had an allergic reaction.

June 8 2007: Photographs are taken of Baby P during a visit to his home by the police child protection team. He appears to have a bruise at the centre of his spine.

June 12 2007: Childminder notices a weeping and bleeding sore on Baby P's head. She also says the child is often unwashed, smells of vomit and always seems to be hungry.

June 15 2007: The childminder tells social services of a bruise on the boy's chin but they decide it is a pre-existing injury.

June 19 2007: A social worker visits Baby P at the childminder's home and sees scratches on his scalp. The mother takes him to North Middlesex hospital for treatment to scratches on his ear and scalp. She claims he has had an allergic reaction after eating red Leicester cheese.

June 18 2007: Mother tells Ward over the phone she is going away the next day for her birthday.

29 June 2007: Another man, Jason Owen, moves into the home with a 15-year-old runaway girl. Ward tries to contact the mother but fails.

July 2 2007: Ward contacts mother and is told they are at her seriously ill uncle's home in Cricklewood, north-west London. It was alleged in court that this was a cover story to conceal the fact that Baby P had a black eye.

July 4 2007: The health visitor is unable to contact the mother but leaves message on phone.

July 9 2007: Baby P is taken to a walk-in clinic at North Middlesex hospital to get antibiotics for ear and scalp infections. The mother cancels an appointment with the health visitor.

July 10 2007: A police meeting leads experts to agree that the injuries to Baby P in December 2006 are "suggestive of non-accidental injury but non-conclusive".

July 11 2007: A social worker visits the family and notes Baby P's ear and scalp infection.

July 16 2007: The mother cancels her appointment with the health visitor.

July 18 2007: Baby P is examined by Thomas and found to have again lost weight. He continues to suffer from scalp infection. Bruising is also noted around his ear. His mother claims it was caused when she was trying to clean his ear.

July 19 2007: Baby P is taken to a walk-in clinic at North Middlesex hospital. He has an ear infection and swelling, and a nail infection on his right hand. Antibiotics are prescribed.

July 23 2007: An appointment for Baby P at the child development centre at St Anne's hospital, Tottenham, is cancelled.

July 24 2007: The childminder informs Ward she cannot look after Baby P because of the scalp infection. Ward telephones the mother and tells her to go to a GP. The mother fails to turn up for an appointment with the health visitor and claims she forgot.

July 26 2007: The mother takes Baby P to his GP. Baby P is withdrawn and pulls away from the doctor during examination. The GP prescribes anti-bacterial cream and makes an appointment for August 2.

July 27 2007: Baby P stays overnight with his father. He appears to be healthy apart from the scalp infection and a bandage to his finger.

July 30 2007: Ward makes her last visit to see Baby P. He is in his buggy and has chocolate smears over his face and hands, and anti-bacterial cream on his scalp. They may have been used to obscure the injuries, said Owen.

July 31 2007: The CPS decides there is insufficient evidence against the mother or the maternal grandmother.

August 1 2007: Baby P is taken to the child development
centre at St Anne's hospital following two previous cancelled appointments. By this time he is probably suffering from fractured ribs and a broken
back, paralysing him from the waist down.

Dr Sabah al-Zayyat notes bruises to the body and face but does not carry out a full examination because Baby P is "miserable and cranky". In evidence, she insists that the boy was moving his legs – something she has not mentioned before.

She tells the court: "I did examine him. He didn't look any different from a child of his age with a common cold.

"He was sitting without support. There was no reason to suspect anything else."

The mother cancels an appointment with the heath visitor.

August 2 2007: The mother decides not to take Baby P to the GP. Ward agrees, as Baby P was seen by a paediatrician the previous day. At a meeting with police and social services the mother is told that police would be taking no further action over the assault. She cries with relief and says she will go back and give him a big hug and bake a cake.

August 3 2007, 1.10am: The mother chats to friend over the phone and says the boy is "fine".

August 3 2007, 11.35am: A 999 call is made. Baby P is taken to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

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