Hospitals spy on suspect parents

Safety procedures will be tightened in children's wards in public hospitals after Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro's investigation into two cases where babies were injured by their parents while in hospital.

In one case, 20-year-old Kaitaia father Logan Herewini either punched his 4-week-old daughter in the face or smothered her with a heavy object while she was in traction in Whangarei Hospital with a broken thigh bone.

He was sentenced in June last year to five years in jail on three charges of injuring with intent.

In the other case, a Nelson father and mother were jailed yesterday for assaulting their 4-week-old son.

The baby, who had been admitted to Nelson Hospital with at least 14 fractured ribs and a broken arm, suffered a further arm fracture in the ward.

After a year-long investigation, Dr Kiro has recommended that:

* In all cases where a child is admitted to hospital and non-accidental injury is suspected, Child, Youth and Family Services and the police must be notified and a "place of safety warrant" obtained.

* The warrant prevents access by parents except on specified terms.

* The child should be protected 24 hours a day.

* A joint team of CYFS, police and hospital staff should be set up within 24 hours to monitor the case.

After the Herewini case, Whangarei Hospital installed closed-circuit television to monitor all children where abuse was suspected.

Paediatrician Dr Roger Tuck said the procedure had been activated "at least once a month".

At Auckland's Starship hospital, paediatrician Dr Patrick Kelly said nurses were now assigned to stay with children round the clock in suspected abuse cases.

He said Starship had about 200 cases a year of suspected child abuse, and about 60 children were admitted to hospital.

"We would be having that kind of mechanism [a 24-hour watch] once or twice a week," he said.

Dr Kiro said each hospital would have to decide how to protect abused children.

"For children with suspected non-accidental injury where the abuser is not known, there are very particular needs, which may need closed-circuit TV, or putting beds closer to the nursing station, or changing the rosters," she said. In the Herewini case, she found that Dr Tuck notified CYFS the day after the baby was admitted to hospital, but the CYFS social worker and supervisor "were of the view that the injury was accidental and appeared to believe the parents' explanation that the baby had been pulled off the bed".

She found that the CYFS Kaitaia office:

* Classified the notification wrongly as "urgent" instead of "critical".

* Disbelieved professional advice from four paediatricians.

* Failed to communicate adequately with hospital staff.

* Failed to activate a formal mechanism to liaise with the hospital.

* Breached a standing protocol by failing to notify the police.

A CYFS spokeswoman said last night that no disciplinary action had been taken.

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