A ten-year-old child was hospitalised due to ‘potentially life-threatening’ neglect

A ten-year-old child was hospitalised due to ‘potentially life-threatening’ neglect after a shocking ‘oversight’ by Oldham Council, a report has found.

The young boy from Oldham, named in a safeguarding review as ‘Abdur’, was admitted to hospital with malnourishment, anaemia, and scurvy – a severe vitamin C deficiency that gave him dreadful leg pain and meant four of his teeth had to be removed. 

His mother was already known to social services due to a long-term drug addiction to heroin and crack cocaine, which had led to several of her older children being placed into the care of extended family.

The family moved to Oldham when Abdur was young. 

He was placed under a care order at home two years before the incident – meaning Oldham Council was responsible for his wellbeing. 

Described as a ‘very likable and delightful child’ who is ‘extremely chatty’, Abdur’s state deteriorated over several weeks between January and February 2023, the safeguarding report notes. 

Abdur’s school alerted social services about his ‘rapid weight loss’ and other signs of neglect 38 times. This included his lunch box being filled with nothing but ‘dry, and on one occasion mouldy, bread and water’. 

Despite this, social services missed signs of his deterioration and instead were in the process of stepping Abdur down from his care plan.

At the time, the ten-year-old also suffered a knee injury. His mother and stephfather told social services they ‘did not believe he was in pain’. 
In fact, Abdur was in extreme pain due to a severe lack of vitamin C and D that left him struggling to walk.

Despite this, Abdur was forced to walk back to school from a doctor’s appointment by his parents. And in desperation, he flagged down a stranger’s car to get a lift back to school – putting himself at significant risk, the report noted.

The boy went to A&E twice and a GP appointment, where his wider health issues were missed. He was eventually admitted to a paediatric hospital through his school nurse. 

His ‘preventable’ condition could have become life-threatening if he had not received treatment when he did, said experts. 

In general the report, which was commissioned shortly after the incident but only published recently, found there were ‘missed opportunities’ for Abdur’s care plan. 

“The signs were there,” the author writes. “Abdur was telling school professionals for some time that he felt unwell and unhappy. Unlike other case examples across the country, there were regular multi-agency opportunities in the 12 months before this incident that could and should have facilitated all agency concerns to be carefully explored.” 

Not enough weight was given to Abdur’s own voice, the report also noted. Instead, his mother’s ‘alternative explanations’ often overshadowed his own. 

Abdur remains under a full care order at home with his mother, stepfather and half siblings.

Speaking on behalf of the Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership, Councillor Shaid Mushtaq, Oldham’s cabinet member for children and young people said: “This is a deeply distressing case, and my thoughts are first and foremost with Abdur and his family. No child should ever have to experience what they went through, and as a council we are truly sorry for the pain and trauma they have suffered.

“The safeguarding reviews make it clear that while there were professionals who showed real dedication and care, there were also areas where we should have done better. We have taken these findings extremely seriously and acted on the learning points identified.

“Since these tragic incidents which took place several years ago, we have made significant changes to strengthen our safeguarding work. That includes earlier identification of risk, better coordination between agencies, and a renewed focus on making sure that every child’s voice is heard, understood and acted upon. Oldham’s safeguarding partnership now operates with greater oversight, stronger challenge, and clearer accountability. 
“But we know that improvement is a continual journey.”