CYF ‘ shortcuts’ highlighted in report on death of baby left in hot car
Shortcuts become ‘ normal practice’ very quickly. Report into Isaiah Neil’s death
Social workers took “shortcuts” to meet deadlines when warned about a dysfunctional family with a baby who later died after being left in a hot car, according to a review of the death.
Staff at the Child, Youth & Family office in Whakatane were routinely opening “assessment” records when safety concerns were raised about children, even if the assessment was not completed. This was to meet internal performance timeframes, but often meant there was no urgency for social workers to finish the safety assessment.
“Unfortunately, these shortcuts become ‘ normal practice’ very quickly and there was resistance by some to return to best practice,” the review author wrote.
Staff at the Whakatane site were told in September 2015 to stop opening assessment records early and clear the backlog of cases. But this was too late for Isaiah Neil. Several “reports of concern” about synthetic cannabis in his Ruatoki home had “languished” for three and a half months “without progress” before his death in November 2015.
The 8- month- old died of heatstroke after his mother and grandmother left him to sleep inside a car while they smoked synthetic cannabis in the house.
The Weekend Herald revealed in July there were 10 “reports of concern” for Isaiah or his older siblings over the three years before his death.
Three of those specifically mentioned their mother’s use of synthetic cannabis.
“It is clear our practice could have been better and should have been better,” the review concludes. “It may not have prevented Isaiah’s death but we will not have any opportunities to get it right for him again.”
The review — obtained by the Weekend Herald despite the Ministry for Vulnerable Children refusing to release it under the Official Information Act — also identifies other problems and missed opportunities. CYF staff failed to notice the clear pattern of behaviour and no one reviewed agency’s involvement over the three years. This meant the 10 reports of concern about exposure to family violence, mental health problems, synthetic cannabis and parenting ability were treated in isolation without considering the previous history.
And when CYF staff did follow up on the reports of concern to interview family members, they often failed to address the specific allegations.
This was particularly true of the repeated concerns about Isaiah’s mother, Lacey Te Whetu, smoking synthetic cannabis regularly.
The lack of information in the reports, combined with failing to identify a pattern of behaviour, meant there were several “lost opportunities” to intervene.
“Resources have been available to social workers to support good decision- making throughout this time but they have not been effectively applied, if at all,” said the review.
“There have been many opportunities to gather better information that might have provided a more accurate picture of the family dynamics.”
The CYF review of Isaiah’s death confirms concerns held by relatives of Shane Neil, Isaiah’s father.
They had earlier written to Social Welfare Minister Anne Tolley seeking answers and will soon meet senior management from the Ministry for Vulnerable Children.
Tayelva Petley, the Bay of Plenty regional manager for the ministry, said monitoring of case activity in Whakatane had improved since Isaiah’s death.
Changes include training to improve responsiveness, better record keeping and report writing, more comprehensive assessments to understand a family’s history, and greater supervision of decisions.
“Isaiah’s death was a tragedy . . . Our people feel it very deeply when we lose mokopuna. We all feel that responsibility and we always look to see what we could do better,” said Petley.
“One of the key things we are doing is formally working with other government agencies to connect up services. It’s designed to ensure that children and families get all of the help they need and that there aren’t gaps.”
The news of social workers taking “shortcuts” to meet key performance indicator ( KPI) timeframes comes after a six- month Weekend Herald investigation into Isaiah’s death from heatstroke after he was left in a hot car outside his grandparents’ home in Ruatoki, in the Bay of Plenty, in November 2015.
Shane Neil was unaware his son was in the car, but did not call 111 when he found the infant “limp, unresponsive and hot”. Instead, Isaiah was placed in a cot for another three hours while his parents slept off the effects of the synthetic drugs.
Neil pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 months’ home detention. Isaiah’s mother, Lacey Te Whetu, and grandmother Donna Parangi were jailed for three years on the same charge.
The two women left Isaiah to sleep in the car — with the windows and doors shut — so they could smoke synthetic cannabis inside the house.
For this reason, Justice Graham Lang found them to be more culpable than 31- year- old Neil for the death.
Home detention was granted as it was not clear if Isaiah could have survived even if Neil had called 111.
In an interview last month, Neil says he felt the sentence was lenient.
“I feel lucky to not be in prison. I’d agree with some of the public who thought that wasn’t long enough. I do blame myself . . . I failed.”