The Blame Game

I haven't done many political posts recently, mostly because I haven't been keeping up with the news - or in my case the olds - but a sideline I heard yesterday reminded me of something; Its so infuriating when the media blame social services for child abuse, and there for encourages the public to do so as well, and even the bosses. I'd like to think they are trying to avoid a witch hunt but I doubt it.

Christopher Sellman, 24, killed Tiffany Sellman Burdge, his 25 day old daughter the first time that he was left alone with her. Social services came into the blame after a family member told a social worker, who was working on another case, that he had a bad temper before the baby was born. The story was printed in the Telegraph yesterday.

Maybe I'm being cynical (its happening more and more these days) but if one person mentions in passing about a another man's bad temper, a man who has no previous history of violence? The grandmother didn't report it correctly, there is a lot of information available on how to report concerns for child welfare to social services. I do not think mentioning it to a health visitor or a social worker in passing is acceptable for someone who is "seriously concerned" from what I've read it seems Chris' mother made a casual comment instead of a raising her concerns seriously.

If he had a bad temper why didn't the baby's mother, Pamela Burdge, mention something? Why didn't the close family know about this temper? And it couldn't have been that bad as Pamela trusted him to be left alone with the baby. Chris did have issue with social services, in the past there have been concerns of neglect with regards to 2 older children but no reports of violence or physical abuse. Not that I'm condoning his actions, or berating Tiffany's family but this baby was let down but half a dozen important and supposedly responsible people in her short life, not just Kent social services. This has to be the most tragic case of misplaced trust and betrayal I have heard of, my thoughts are with Pamela and her family, Chris' family too for that matter.