600 babies at risk of abuse in the womb

AT LEAST 600 Scottish babies a year are judged to be at risk of abuse before they are even born, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

Official figures reveal that in the last year, 331 unborn babies were placed on the official child protection register, many of them because of their mother's drink or drug problems.

But the figure excludes many councils in the north-east and west of the country, including Glasgow, which deal with the problem in a different way and are likely to add at least another 300 to the tally. In Glasgow alone, social workers deal with around 20 cases a month of unborn babies considered to be at risk of abuse.

Most disturbing of all in the wake of the Baby P scandal, there is a small number of unborn children who are considered at risk of physical abuse. Typically, these are cases where the mother is deliberately kicked or punched in the abdomen by her partner.

Babies born to mothers who are drug addicts usually need special treatment to wean them off drugs. Those born to mothers who drank heavily during pregnancy can suffer fetal alcohol syndrome, which causes learning difficulties.

The number of cases of unborn babies at risk is growing rapidly. Two years ago, the number on the official register was 200.

In England, the row over the death in London of Baby P is escalating. MPs yesterday expressed concern at suggestions the mother of the baby could be granted a new identity, costing taxpayers millions of pounds.

In Scotland, 12,318 child protection referrals of all ages were made in 2007-8, according to official Government figures. That was 4% more than the 11,960 made in the previous year.

The number of unborn children considered to be at risk has not previously been revealed. And the official figure massively underestimates the total because so many councils do not add children until they are born.

Glasgow said teams of midwives, social workers and other professionals had carried out 81 pre-birth child protection case conferences since August, none of which are reflected in the official figures.

At least a dozen authorities, including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Inverclyde, are understood not to refer "at risk" children to formal registers before they are born. All three areas, like Glasgow, have had historic problems with heroin addiction. Fraserburgh, in Aberdeenshire, with a population of just 20,000, saw 30 children born addicted to crack cocaine and heroin over 2005 and 2006.

Neil McKeganey, a professor of drugs misuse at Glasgow University, said:

"The authorities are increasingly aware of the dangers to children of being born into drug-dependent households. We are now seeing a third generation of addicts being born. The children can suffer serious physical symptoms – lower body weights, smaller heads – and will be born dependent on whatever drug their mother is using.

Michelle Miller, of the Association of Directors of Social Work, said: "The figures for referrals is very high and is getting higher. I think this is because public awareness of child welfare is growing. Substance abuse is the most likely cause of a child to be referred before it is born."

Scots unborns are coming to the attention of child protection teams annually because their mothers' partners pose a risk of violence.

"It is not unusual for domestic abuse to begin once a woman becomes pregnant," said Gillian Smith, of the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland. "But it is often very difficult to detect, especially in better-off families. Midwives now have to ask every expectant mother about domestic abuse, which is sometimes very difficult and must be handled very carefully."

Elizabeth Smith MSP, the Tory spokeswoman on children in the Scottish Parliament, yesterday said the rising toll of unborn children coming to the attention of the authorities was "tragic". She said: "Scotland desperately needs a new focus on good parenting. You need a licence to drive a car but anybody can have a baby. Some of our young parents need more support."

Last night, a teenage girl who witnessed the suffering of Baby P told a newspaper of her guilt after failing to save him. The 16-year-old, named only as Mary, lived in the house after running away from home. She said the mother's boyfriend, whom she described as a "brute", would enjoy tormenting the toddler by hurting him and training him to perform Nazi salutes.

"I was really scared because of what I'd seen. I thought he'd do that to me. His eyes were evil. When he was hurting Baby P he'd look at me and grin. He was evil all the time."

She said that when one of the other youngsters started screaming that Baby P was dead, the child's mother did her hair and got dressed before an ambulance was called.