Heads are about to roll in the British Social Services today. On Sunday Police were called to a terrace house in Birmingham to investigate claims that children were being neglected. What they have found is nothing short of horrific. A seven year old child was found close to death, emaciated beyond belief and not breathing. With that child, in the same room, were five other young children in advanced stages of malnutrition and emaciation.

The seven year old child, Khyra Ishaq, has since died and her other five siblings are in life threatening conditions in hospital. A woman and man have been taken into custody and are the childrens mother and stepfather.

It appears the children were known to social services.  It appears social services have once again failed in their duty to monitor and protect young children. The children were seen by neighbours eating bread scraps that had been thrown on the ground for birds. Police found the children lying on mattresses amid complete squalor.

How something like this can happen in a country like England just beggars belief. How children can be so neglected, so abandoned by authorities who are employed to protect them, is as damning an indictment on child protection services in the UK as there ever can be. Damning in that the social services seem to have no idea how to identify, prioritise and act in cases of severe abuse and neglect…and damning that in 2008 children are dying in such numbers at the hands of their own parents.

Squalor: Back of the house where little Khyra and her siblings lived.

News Source: SkyNews.co.uk

Photo source: Times.co.uk – Lawrence Looi/Newsteam