The Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) has published the report of a Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Leiland-James Corkill, a one-year-old boy who died in Barrow-in-Furness in January 2021. The review was carried out by an experienced independent reviewer.

Following a trial earlier this year his prospective adoptive mother, Laura Castle, was convicted of his murder.

The report, and the official response from the CSCP, is available via the CSCP website.

The purpose of a Child Safeguarding Practice Review, as defined in the government’s statutory guidance Working Together 2018, is to “identify improvements to be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”. They are focussed on “learning” and “should seek to prevent or reduce the risk of recurrence of similar incidents. They are not conducted to hold individuals, organisations or agencies to account”.

The key findings from the review are:

• That the prospective adopters deliberately misled professionals involved with their family, but it also identifies that services should not rely on self-reported information and that rigorous checking and challenge of information provided is vitally important.
• Medical assessments of adopters need medical records to be thoroughly looked at, and clarification of the information they contain should be sought when necessary. Information from any specialists and providers of mental health support must be shared with the Local Authority. Medical assessments should be updated at the point of matching adopters with a child in case any new information is available that may affect their ability to appropriately parent a child.
• Improvements are needed by all agencies involved in both seeking out and sharing information, and in considering any issues which emerge that could lead to a risk to children. The police investigation and this review uncovered information about the prospective adopter’s mental health, alcohol use and financial circumstances that either was not known or shared. The prospective adopters did not share their negative views of Leiland-James and there was no awareness of the nature of the private text messages shared between the prospective adoptive mother and father.
• Adoption staff must improve direct questioning of other children who live in the home to hear their day-to-day experiences and understand what life is like for them and whether the adoptive placement is having an effect on them or their family.
• When agencies find out there are issues with prospective adopters bonding with a child placed with them, they need to respond quickly to provide support and input to that situation.

Lesley Walker, Independent Scrutineer with Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership, said:

“It is my job to provide scrutiny and challenge of agencies in Cumbria and hold them to account for delivery of any necessary improvements to practice.

“The agencies and professionals involved in this case are deeply saddened and sorry for Leiland-James’ death and have openly reflected on how systems and practice can be strengthened to prevent the abuse or neglect of any other child in similar circumstances.

“The local and national recommendations in the report spell out specific actions that need to be taken to improve systems and practice in Cumbria and beyond, I am aware there will be significant national interest in this review. The National Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have agreed to support the discussions to improve national adoption guidance and systems.

“Agencies locally have already taken action to address the learning and recommendations outlined in the report but now that the report has been published the learning can be widely shared and discussed in detail. In particular, there are messages for staff in all organisations both locally and nationally, about the need to both share and seek information that may impact on the safety of a child and to be really curious and prepared to challenge in all areas of day to day working with children and families, remembering that safeguarding must remain a core focus in all work.”