Girl, 13, died after council's social work polices not followed

Girl, 13, died after council's social work polices not followed

Following the tragic death of 13-year-old Robyn Goldie in July 2018, it has been revealed that the social work policies of the North Lanarkshire Council were not properly adhered to in her case. Robyn Goldie, a resident of Wishaw, died from peritonitis after her mother, Sharron Goldie, failed to seek medical treatment for her daughter. Sharron Goldie was subsequently sentenced to three years and six months in prison in October 2020 after admitting to wilful ill-treatment and neglect of Robyn.

It has been determined through a fatal accident inquiry that North Lanarkshire Council should have had child protection measures in place at an earlier stage before Robyn’s untimely death. The inquiry shed light on the fact that Robyn had tried to seek medical assistance the week before her passing, but her mother had prevented her from doing so. On the day of her death, Robyn was left in pain while her mother went to the pub, only to return and find her daughter deceased on the sofa.

Sheriff Linda Nicolson highlighted several shortcomings in the handling of Robyn’s case, including the absence of a comprehensive assessment of the risks faced by the teenager and inadequate supervision of social work staff. The sheriff emphasized that child protection measures should have been implemented sooner and that a referral to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration should have been made earlier. Ultimately, Sheriff Nicolson stated that a reasonable precaution that could have prevented Robyn’s death would have been for her mother to seek medical attention for her.

Robyn had previously lived with her grandmother from the age of four to 12, before social work services became involved in her life again in September 2017. Throughout the trial in 2020, it was revealed that Robyn had faced various forms of abuse and neglect under her mother’s care, including exposure to unhygienic living conditions. Despite the troubling signs leading up to her death, Robyn’s pleas for help were ignored by her mother, ultimately resulting in a devastating outcome. Sheriff Nicolson did not issue any additional recommendations, noting that North Lanarkshire Council had already made changes following Robyn’s passing

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