Matthew Scully-Hicks: Social services chief apologises for mistakes leading to toddler being murdered by adoptive father

Care workers and doctor failed to spot string of injuries inflicted on girl before she was killed

Elsie Scully-Hicks died when she was violently shaken and thrown to the floor (PA )

A social services chief has apologised for mistakes in the care of a baby girl who was murdered by her father two weeks after he adopted her.

A review has found that both social services workers and a doctor missed opportunities to spot anything abnormal when Elsie Scully-Hicks suffered a catalogue of injuries in the months before she died.

Matthew Scully-Hicks, 32, passed the rigorous adoption process with flying colours and professionals viewed his care of 18-month-old Elsie through a “positive lens” and failed to consider the possibility he was harming her, the report found.

​Scully-Hicks, a fitness instructor who had previously adopted another child, violently shook Elsie and threw her to the floor at their home in Cardiff in 2016. He is now serving a sentence of life in jail.

He had previously inflicted a string of injuries on Elsie, including a large bruise to her face. Her leg was also fractured in two places.

An extended child practice review found professionals saw the injuries in isolation, lacked “professional curiosity” and accepted the innocent explanations given by Scully-Hicks.

Elsie was placed with Scully-Hicks and his husband, Craig, in September 2015, when she was 10 months old.

Scully-Hicks was sentenced to life for murder last year (PA)

Lance Carver, director of social services at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, accepted the findings of the report and apologised for the errors.

“The findings do indicate that social workers and staff from all agencies saw the adoption as very positive,” Mr Carver said.

“They perceived the adoptive family as a really positive solution for Elsie.

“The report identifies issues that ‘that positive lens’ meant that they were not looking in the way they should have been.

“That’s something as an organisation that we should have recognised and taken that fully on board.”

Mr Carver said no disciplinary actions had been taken against any members of staff as the report did not “indicate that it would be appropriate”.

The couple, who lived in Llandaff, Cardiff, presented a “positive and united front” to professionals working closely with them and never indicated any difficulties with raising Elsie.

The report, by Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Safeguarding Children Board, states: “The evidence in this case highlights that the professionals working with the child did not either consider or raise the possibility that the child was being harmed by a parent.

“The events in the child’s life were viewed through a ‘positive lens’. This is the case for the majority of children placed for adoption.”

The professionals involved with the child viewed the adoptive placement as being very successful

Report by Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Safeguarding Children Board

The report revealed that no safeguarding concerns were raised despite Elsie suffering a number of injuries during her time with Scully-Hicks.

Her parents were seen as a “well-educated and articulate couple” who were “very well regarded by each of the agencies as good parents who had already successfully adopted”.

Matthew Scully-Hicks, 32, was handed a life sentence for murder last year (PA)

In November 2015, Elsie was referred to an orthopaedics outpatient clinic after suffering an injury to her leg.

An X-ray was taken but this was not examined by a specialist paediatric radiologist. A registrar spotted a lower leg fracture but not an upper leg fracture.

“Had both fractures been recognised on the X-ray, this would have raised safeguarding concerns that would have instigated the child-protection process,” the report noted.

“This review indicated that it would be highly unusual for two separate bones to be broken from one minor fall.”

The following month, Elsie suffered a large bruise to her forehead that lasted for eight weeks.

Two social workers and an independent reviewing officer from the Vale of Glamorgan Council saw the bruise during an adoption review at the Scully-Hickses’ home.

They failed to make any note of the bruise and it was not brought to the attention of the adoption court, along with the fact that Elsie was developing a squint.

Mr Carver said: “It is difficult to second-guess what would have happened if that had been recorded properly. It clearly wasn’t recorded properly and that is inadequate.

“I would like to be clear that on behalf of the Vale I apologise for that. It should have been recorded properly.

“We have looked to see what improvements we can make in order to ensure that this recording is done properly in the future.

“We are going to ensure that the recommendations of this report are fully implemented.”

Last year Scully-Hicks was convicted of murder in a trial at Cardiff Crown Court and was jailed for life, with a minimum prison sentence of 18 years.