Latest news with #childsafeguarding
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Boy, three, starved to death and buried in garden by off-grid vegan parents was failed by authorities who feared being branded 'discriminatory'
Police and social workers' fear of being seen as discriminatory may have contributed to the death of a starved toddler who was buried in a garden, a review has suggested. Abiyah Yasharahyalah, aged three, died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a 'restricted' vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment. A review into his parents' contact with authorities found there was a lack of curiosity about how their culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, warning that 'the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount'. Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were jailed for a total of 44 years in December after being convicted of multiple charges including causing or allowing Abiyah's death and child cruelty by failing to provide adequate nourishment or summon medical care. The couple, both degree-educated, were obsessed with 'clean living' but lived in squalor after turning their back on society. Jurors heard they survived on only fruit, nuts and seeds having established a 'kingdom' in which they lived under their own religion and laws. The review said the case demonstrated the need for 'professionals' involved in safeguarding work such as police, health and social workers to 'be confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory'. It warned: 'Whilst professionals should have a good understanding of the communities they serve, if any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.' The report by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, published yesterday, said Abiyah became 'invisible and lost from professional view' following a lack of 'exploration or curiosity' by health visitors. The Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 likely contributed to the 'lack of follow-through activity', it added. Abiyah's birth in 2016 was registered, but he was not seen by medics or professionals after 2018 and his death in January 2020 went unnoticed. Officials only discovered the boy had died almost three years later, after police were asked to conduct a welfare check on the couple. By the time the couple were arrested in December 2022, Abiyah had been dead two years. The pair had been living off-grid in a squalid caravan in Somerset with another young child when a social worker came across a social media video posted by Tai in 2016 in which he referred to a child called Abiyah. Tai, 42, went on to admit that Abiyah was 'dead in a physical sense' but claimed he had been reincarnated. Those words led to the couple's arrests and soon after, Abiyah's body was exhumed at the couple's former address in Birmingham. Abiyah was found to have had severe malnutrition, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth thanks to his limited diet, as well as five fractures that would have caused terrible pain. The Yasharahyalahs' trial at Coventry Crown Court heard that while no cause of death was formally established, experts in court said starvation was probably to blame. Police visited the Handsworth property three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was alive. The review stated that with regard to this visit 'no details were recorded' about Abiyah, with his presence 'almost invisible on review of records'. Both the mother and father were said to be members of Royal Ahayah's Witness, described as an 'obscure religious movement based on the belief that mainstream Christianity is designed to subjugate the Black Community..' The review said their hostility towards those in authority caused the focus of professionals to be 'diverted or distracted' from the children's welfare while the couple's numerous name changes and aliases made it more difficult for agencies to track and share information effectively. It noted that Abiyah 'was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only'. In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment. Authorities showed a 'general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems', leading to an 'insufficient understanding about the impact' on his care, the review said. It added that his parents' behaviour 'often distracted or diverted professional attention' away from his safety and welfare. As part of the review, the views of both parents were sought. Tai refused to be interviewed but Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 43, agreed telling the review it was now 'hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble'. She said at the time, she did not think Abiyah needed help with any illness. An NSPCC spokesman said the review 'brings into sharp focus why it is crucial that professionals demonstrate curiosity and scrutiny.'
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Boy starved to death in Birmingham ‘was invisible to child services'
A toddler who was starved by his parents and buried in their garden was 'invisible and lost' to child services, a review has said. Three-year-old Abiyah Yasharahyalah, who lived with his parents in Birmingham, died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness. He was severely malnourished when he died and suffered from anaemia, rickets and stunted growth which, as well as the illness, were exacerbated by the 'restricted' vegan diet he was given at home. A local child safeguarding practice review, published on Wednesday, into Abiyah's death found that a lack of questions asked about how the family's lifestyle and culture could have had an effect on his health, stating 'the safeguarding of children being affected by harmful cultural practice is paramount'. The review also found that while the family were subject to visits, they were sporadic and short, noting that Abiyah 'was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only'. At the parents' trial at Coventry crown court in December last year, the court was told that following Abiyah's death, his mother and father, Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah aged 42 and 43, performed an 'eight-day ritual' in the hopes that their son would 'come back' to life, before burying his body in the garden of their home in Handsworth in the centre of the city. The court also heard that police had visited the families residence three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was still alive, but that 'no details were recorded' about Abiyah, with his presence 'almost invisible on review of records'. The home was also visited by social workers on at least five occasions, but these visits were described as 'very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into (Abiyah's) existence, health or welfare'. The review found that authorities coming into contact with the child's family showed a 'general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems', leading to an 'insufficient understanding about the impact on his care.'. It added that his parents' behaviour 'often distracted or diverted professional attention' away from Abiyah's safety and welfare and that 'parental resistance of advice, support or authority ultimately resulted in (Abiyah) becoming invisible and lost from professional view.' Annie Hudson, chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, said that the report strongly evidenced 'the paramount importance of understanding what life is like for children, and not being distracted or diverted away by parental behaviour when considering children's safety and welfare. 'It is important to respect parents' faith and beliefs,' she added. 'However, as this review highlights, professionals must always be mindful of whether their views about parents, including their faith, race and culture, is inhibiting their capacity to be questioning and act together in a timely way to safeguard and protect children.' Tai, a medical genetics graduate and Naiyami, a former shop worker, left the body buried in the garden when they were evicted from the house in 2022. The couple adopted their own belief and legal system dubbed 'slick law' which incorporated elements of Igbo culture. They were described as shunning society, putting a sign on the door of their home which warned 'all governmental and non-governmental bodies' not to ring the doorbell or make 'any contact with any member of this house'. Tai and Naiyami, who were arrested in December 2022 whilst living in shipping container in Somerset, were sentenced to 24 years and 6 months and 19 years and 6 months for multiple charges including child cruelty, causing or allowing the death of a child, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Birmingham boy who starved to death 'was invisible to authorities'
A boy who was starved to death and buried in a garden by his parents was "invisible and lost" from the sight of authorities, an independent review Yasharahyalah, 3, died after his parents' culture and beliefs had had a detrimental impact on his health, welfare and safety, the review cocluded. Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah's, 42 and 43, were jailed after being convicted of causing Abiyah's death, having left his body in the garden of the Birmingham house they were evicted from in Children's Trust said the family had originally had contact with social care services in 2016 - when it was rated inadequate by Ofsted and before the formation of the trust. Tai Yasharahyalah, 42, was jailed for 24-and-a-half years and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 43, for 19-and-a-half years at Coventry Crown Court last year after being found guilty of causing Abiyah's death. The Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review found that while the cause of his death was undetermined, Abiyah was clearly malnourished in the period leading up to it, "invisible and lost" from the sight of child services. The authorities showed a lack of curiosity about how his parents' culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, with the report warning that "the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount".Abiyah died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a "restricted" vegan diet that caused severe malnourishment, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth. 'Abiyah seen for limited time' His parents were evicted from a house in Clarence Road, Handsworth, in March 2022, before police found their son's body nine months later. During an eight-week trial, the court heard the couple had created their own bespoke belief system based on a mixture of elements that drew from New Age mysticism and West African report, by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP), said the family had strong religious beliefs, adhered to a strict dietary regime and led an alternative lifestyle described as living "off-grid", avoiding engagement with any statutory agencies and noted Abiyah "was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only". According to records, he was seen by a health visitor in April 2016 shortly after his birth, and the following month for a was some contact in 2018 with a local authority social worker in London and four visits to a children's centre in Birmingham,However, the review said: "Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into [Abiyah's] existence, health or welfare."Abiyah's parents' trial heard police visited the property in Handsworth three times, including in February 2018, more than four years before his body was review stated that with regard to the last visit "no details were recorded" about Abiyah, with his presence "almost invisible on review of records".In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment, with non-attendance by him and his parents at appointments at the one and two-year marks since his birth. 'Professionals often distracted' Abiyah had also not received any routine immunisations and, while a follow-up inquiry was planned, there was no record of why it never happened, although the review accepted the coronavirus lockdown had began that year had likely contributed to various authorities coming into contact with the child's family showed a "general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems", leading to an "insufficient understanding about the impact on his care", the review added Abiyah's parents' behaviour "often distracted or diverted professional attention" away from his safety and review, warned that while navigating race, ethnicity, culture and beliefs "can be challenging" for those working in child safeguarding, there is a need for them to be "confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory".Abiyah's mother had opted to take part in the review, saying she had believed she was "doing the right thing at the time" for her son, based on her cultural beliefs but that she now wished she had done more research about diet and said it was "hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble". Among its recommendations, the review said workforce guidance should be looked at to ensure it "supports effective assessment and intervention which safeguards those children that become hidden from professional sight and/or when parents choose to live an alternative, or more off-grid lifestyle".A statement from Birmingham Children's Trust it "fully supports" the findings and was working with its partners to implement the recommendations. "The family originally had contact with Birmingham's social care services in 2016 when services were judged to be inadequate, and before the formation of the Birmingham Children's Trust. "Significant progress has been made since then and children's services in Birmingham are now rated Good in all areas." 'Ask probing questions' BSCP said it was doing everything it possibly could to identify risk to children deemed "out of sight"Co-chairs James Thomas and Sue Harrison said: "Protecting children out of professional sight is a real challenge, given the limits of statutory powers to ensure all children are regularly seen. "Our partnership has made this one of our top strategic priorities."The NSPCC has said the review brings into "sharp focus" why it is crucial for professionals to demonstrate "curiosity and scrutiny". "This means asking probing questions, joining up and sharing information and undertaking quality assessments to inform an understanding of the impact of the parents' behaviour on the child," a spokesperson said. "This is particularly challenging when parents are reluctant and resistant to engage, which in this situation took the focus away from the safety of this little boy until tragically it was far too late." 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