Boy suffered four years of abuse and was forced to live off stale food and endure beatings from his parents and siblings after he fell ‘out of sight’ of authorities after being removed from school to be ‘home taught’
- Government has been urged to monitor parents who choose to home school
- Comes after claims emerged that a boy had been subjected to years of abuse
- The child, known as Child Ab, had been abused by his mother and stepfather
Fresh calls are being made for stricter monitoring around home-schooling after claims emerged that a boy had been subjected to years of abuse at the hands of his parents.
The child, who is known as Child Ab, was taken into care in 2016 after the authorities found that he had been abused by his mother and stepfather over the course of four years.
The boy, whose demeanor began to change at school and was soon brought to the attention of the Children’s Social Care and Police, had endured beatings and was forced to live off stale food.
The government has been urged to monitor parents who choose to home school their children after claims emerged that a boy had been subjected to years of abuse at the hands of his parents. (Stock image)
A report published by Northamptonshire children safeguarding partnership stated that the arrival of the boy’s stepfather into the family home immediately changed how the child was cared for.
Child Ab, who was the second oldest child, was soon treated differently to his siblings and endured ‘extreme cruelty’ at the hands of his stepfather.
The report’s author Moira Murray wrote: ‘Fortunately, in this case, Child Ab did not die.
‘If Children’s Social Care and Police had not acted when the school passed on the concerns arising from disclosures by Child Ab’s siblings, then the outcome could have been very different.
‘However, by not instigating child protection procedures when previous referrals had been made to Children’s Services meant that Child Ab was left to endure continuing neglect and serious abuse for years.’
The report by Northamptonshire children safeguarding partnership urges the government to monitor home-schooling. (Stock image)
The boy’s mother and stepfather have now been jailed for child cruelty for seven and three years respectively.
The review, which was published yesterday, has now highlighted the importance of monitoring parents who choose to home school their children.
Fiona Baker, for Northamptonshire county council, told The Times: ‘We are deeply sorry for any poor decision-making and mistakes which may have contributed to this awful case of abuse.’