A child safeguarding review has called for trauma-informed support to be offered to parents whose children are taken into care, in an effort to break cycles of harm and reduce risks to future babies. The recommendation comes after the death of baby Victoria Marten, whose parents fled authorities to prevent her being removed, as their four older children had been.
Victoria died in January 2023 after her parents, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, took her to live in a tent in wintry conditions. The couple were jailed last September for killing their newborn. The review, published by the child safeguarding practice review panel, said Victoria's birth was 'the last within her family of a rapid series of pregnancies, births and removals into care that by the time she was conceived had become a repeating pattern with devastating consequences'.
Sir David Holmes, the panel chair, said that while the death was not predictable, 'her conception arguably was'. He noted that better professional engagement might have prevented it, and that removal of children does not address root problems, adding: 'It does not prevent the same set of circumstances from happening again. Indeed, it may increase the risk of harm for the next child, not yet born, not yet even conceived.'
The review highlighted that no single agency had responsibility for supporting the couple after their children were removed, leaving them isolated and increasing risk. It also noted the couple's persistent reluctance to engage with authorities, having moved five times during five pregnancies. The panel recommended national guidance on safeguarding babies, and that registered sex offenders be required to inform police of new partners or impending births.
