Torment of mum whose baby died after being ‘dropped by foster carer’
‘I was given false hope’
A BABY has died from head injuries while in foster care.
Skyla Giller was allegedly dropped by her foster mother and taken to hospital in an unresponsive state.
The ten-month-old had emergency brain surgery before doctors decided there was no hope.
Her natural mother, Sarah Giller, was brought to hospital to give consent for her life support machine to be switched off. ‘I thought my baby would be safe in foster care,’ said the 30-year- old mother of four.
‘They are the sort of people who should be able to look after her. They failed my daughter and social services put my daughter in danger.’ Miss Giller allowed the foster parents – a married couple in their 30s or 40s – to witness Skyla’s final moments. ‘I wanted them to see what they had done,’ she said. ‘I was laid beside Skyla, stroking her head and holding her hand. It was only a matter of minutes before she died.’
She claimed that at one point in the hospital room the foster mother said to her partner: ‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean to do this.’
Miss Giller added: ‘I was absolutely devastated and all I could do was hold my daughter and keep things as peaceful as possible for Skyla’s sake.’
Miss Giller said a consultant told her Skyla had been ‘ dropped by her foster mother’, which may have caused the head injuries.
She added: ‘I got quite angry and asked them how has she come to be in this situation. How has the baby been dropped?’
She has been given no further information about what happened by police or social workers.
Miss Giller released moving photos of Skyla in hospital because she feared the authorities would cover up the tragedy. Her daughter was born eight weeks prematurely in Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, last October, weighing 3lb 4oz.
She remained in hospital for two weeks but was said to have been healthy.
Miss Giller contested a social services application to take her into care but a judge ruled against her. ‘Our relationship was really close and I saw her every day of the week,’ she said.
‘I was given false hope by social workers who indicated she would be able to come home at some point.’ Miss Giller, who has had a troubled personal history but who is hoping to start a part-time university course to become a social worker, was stopped from seeing Skyla last April.
Ten days ago paramedics were called to a village near Huddersfield and Skyla was taken to Leeds General Infirmary.
The next day Miss Giller was phoned by a social worker and told Skyla ‘had been taken to hospital and was extremely poorly’.
She went to hospital later that day. ‘It was devastating,’ said Miss Giller. ‘ There were wires and things coming out of her head, nose and mouth with a huge cut on her head where they had done brain surgery.
‘There was a lot of swelling to her head and she had a black eye.
‘Two social workers were with me and they didn’t tell me anything except that she was poorly.’
Miss Giller said her daughter had an emergency brain operation and was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit.
However, another phone call the following morning revealed that Skyla had deteriorated and doctors wanted to switch off her life support machine.
Bradford coroner’s office confirmed it had been informed of the death and an inquest would be held.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said its inquiries were continuing. No arrests have been made.
Officials at Wakefield social services department made no comment last night.