An investigation into the killing of a baby by his parents has discovered that Finley Boden 'should have been one of the most protected' children in the area.
Ten-month-old Finley passed away after enduring abuse, with multiple fractures, burns, and injuries that a court determined could only have been caused by two people working together.
He died on Christmas Day during the 2020 Covid lockdown – just 39 days after he had been returned to his parents' care by social services.
A report released today by the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership found that the protection of Finley was insufficient.
'In this case, a child died as a result of abuse when he should have been one of the most protected children in the local authority area,' it reads.
Drug users Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22, were both sentenced to life last year.
The report notes how ambulance staff observed that home conditions were 'unkempt' and 'possibly smelled of cannabis' while Finley's clothes were soiled when they arrived to attempt to save him.
It states that while his parents were ultimately responsible for the death and have been sentenced, 'professional interventions should have protected him'.
The report says he was 'a very young child whose parents were known to have posed a risk of significant harm to him and who, it had been agreed, required legal intervention to keep him safe.'
It found that staff missed the opportunity to 'explore more fully the significance of cannabis use in the couple's lives and to understand better its implications for their parenting' as they seemed willing to 'work around' it and accept at face value the couple's stated intention to cut down.
A parenting assessment of the couple had been done when Finley was not in their full-time care, which was a very different situation from them having sole responsibility.
The report found 'there was very limited evidence that the couple had been able to effect changes'.
Finley was very young and 'completely dependent on his parents for all aspects of care,' the report said. 'There were many risks inherent in this situation. This was not adequately understood.'
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