Four children killed in a house fire were so abandoned they barely spoke

Four children who died in a house fire had been so abandoned that they barely spoke at home and suffered dozens of injuries.

A serious review of a case was published today on the way agencies worked with the family and noted how the children lived in “total chaos.”

But the professionals did not question the evidence in front of them and simply took “the mother’s word,” the report says, Birmingham Live reports.

The nursery staff pointed out that one of them had not had her diaper changed since the night before.

The children were also found with 50 wounds, marks or bruises in a 17-month period.

Brothers Riley Holt, 8, Keegan Unitt, 6, Tilly Unitt, 4, Olly Unitt, 3, were killed when a fire broke out at their home on Sycamore Lane, Highfields, Staffordshire. His younger brother, two years old at the time, survived.

It was later revealed that parents Natalie Unitt and Christopher Moulton had been smoking in bed that night in February 2019. A discarded cigarette is believed to have caused the devastating fire.

Report author Joanna Nicolas said the tragedy highlighted the need to treat neglect as if it had as damaging an impact on a child as physical or sexual abuse.

The Unitt family first came to the attention of the Staffordshire County Council in 2017. A child protection plan was subsequently implemented, although little progress was made.

The report said: “One of the children’s biggest concerns was their lack of speech. Professionals described the home as quiet, even though there were five children in it. “

During an appointment with a pediatrician, one of the young men just “grunted and pointed at things.” Another had a “frozen expression” in front of a social worker, showing no response.

The children, who also had signs of developmental delay, were referred for speech and language therapy.

“There is considerable evidence that the children did not receive enough stimulation, supervision or guidance,” added Ms. Nicolas.

One of them was simply put next to the television in his stroller.

In response to concerns raised about their children’s injuries, the parents claimed that one of the bruises was just playdough and that two other marks were due to hitting a sofa.

The report praises the efforts of health professionals, who “competed and chased” to try to get the family to keep appointments.

But Ms Nicolas said: “The mother was controlling the relationships that the whole family had with the agencies.”

Professionals also failed to realize that Mr. Moulton was the primary caregiver and instead focused on the mother’s needs.

However, as neither parent showed “high-risk indicators,” such as mental health or substance abuse problems, the children were considered at the “low end” of neglect cases. Plans for a parenting evaluation were “never carried out.”

Helen Riley, director of the council for families and communities and who is also the interim chair of the safeguarding board, said: “While the tragic nature of these deaths could not have been predicted, there are certainly areas of practice around the family that improved.”