A social worker recommended no further action should be taken against a mum who kept her children in a 'untidy' flat. Martin Cullen, 46, made the submission to seniors after visiting Margaret Wade, 41, at her flat in Glasgow's Sighthill in July 2014.
His check-up with a health visitor was arranged after Irene Soley earlier found two-year-old Lauren Wade playing with a "poisonous" battery in the untidy property. Mr Cullen and Mrs Soley found the property to be in a "neat and tidy" condition after their visit. Mr Soley stated that she had "no reason" to up Lauren's health visitor safe guards from low to needing "attention."
Mr Cullen claimed that he attended the flat on short notice due to staffing issues. Lauren died eight months later after she was left to starve to death by mum Margaret Wade, 41, and Marie Sweeney, 40.
A judge heard how Lauren went without proper food or care for months and was riddled with thousands of head lice. A "skinny and dirty" Lauren had a sodden nappy, bald patches and thousands of head lice.
A post mortem revealed the toddler had been the victim of “severe neglect”. Wade and Sweeney were jailed in 2019 for six years and four months each after pleading guilty to neglecting the toddler between June 2014 and March 2015.
The probe into the tot's death today heard from independent social worker 67-year-old Margaret Mellon. Mrs Mellon told the Fatal Accident Inquiry that she prepared reports outlining the social work process with the case.
Rosemarie Guianne, defending Wade, said: "Mr Cullen did his entry and reported back. "He didn't have any concerns for social work to be continuing to be involved unless more information was sent to social work that the position has to be maintained?"
Mrs Mellon replied: "I think it was his recommendation there should be no further action but the team leader should have had sight of the conclusion of the visit.
"I expect the team leader to say 'What is happening here?' and 'Who is reporting back to the school' and 'What steps are going to be taken?'
"Mr Cullen only recommended it, his decision was not given much appropriate scrutiny."
The witness said that the team leader should have asked further questions about what happened on the visit. This included asking whether a GP should be contacted or if Wade had post-natal depression.
She stated: "More should have been done. The social worker made his own assessment and made a decision thinking that the health visitor was going to be involved by the team leader should have seen what the write up was and made their own assessment.
"What should have been happening is to see who was doing what and see if there were more unanswered questions."
Miss Guianne: "So there is no miscommunication or misunderstanding what the roles were?
Mrs Mellon: "Yes."
The inquiry continues tomorrow before Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull.
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