North Lanarkshire Council failed to follow social work polices prior to death of girl, 13, left in pain by mum

A council failed to follow its own social work policies before the death of a 13-year-old girl who died after her mum left her in pain to go to the pub.

Robyn Goldie, from Wishaw, died on July 26, 2018, after she developed peritonitis – an infection of the stomach lining which can be life-threatening if left untreated.

Earlier that day, Sharon Goldie had claimed her 13-year-old daughter was “attention seeking” despite the sick child begging for help, and went to the pub instead.

After arriving home, the 45-year-old found her daughter slumped on the couch, but left her to go out to the garden to have a drink with a friend.

It was only after they eventually discovered Robyn was dead that an ambulance was finally called.

The teenager had suffered a perforated duodenal ulcer after her mother failed to seek medical treatment for her.

Sharon Goldie was jailed for three years and six months at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2020, reduced from four years following a guilty plea.

Inquiry into teenager’s death

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) ordered a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into Robyn’s death.

Sheriff Nicolson found that a reasonable precaution would have been for Sharon Goldie to have sought medical attention for Robyn or allowed her to access medical attention when she suffered obvious symptoms of illness.

This precaution may have realistically resulted in Robyn’s death being avoided.  

It was also found that North Lanarkshire Council did not comply with social work policies and procedures in place at the time.

There was deemed to be an absence of a written comprehensive assessment, a written child’s plan, and adequate supervision of workers.

The inquiry determined that protection measures should have been put in place, and a referral made to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration at an earlier stage.

In the years prior to the teen’s death, police and social workers had been present at the family’s home numerous times.

On March 15, 2009, a call handler at Saltire, a gas maintenance company, contacted the social work out-of-hours service.

A young Robyn contacted the company’s call centre numerous times that evening, complaining of being cold.

She was asked to get an adult, but was unable to do so. An engineer arrived at the home, where he was confronted by an allegedly drunk Goldie, who was aggressive towards him and Robyn.

The mum was taken into custody by police and charged with child neglect. Robyn was passed into the care of her grandmother.

The social work case was closed in 2011.

In September 2017, social work services were made aware that Robyn had returned to the care of her mum.

The depute head teacher of her school felt there was a significant risk of harm and neglect.

She considered it appropriate that a Notification of Child Protection Concern be made.

Goldie was offered the opportunity to attend parenting classes, but declined to attend.

In March 2018, Robyn was found to have a rash caused by fleas.

The week before her death, Robyn was given painkillers after complaining of a sore stomach and legs.

On July 21, Goldie told staff at the Melody Bar that she had “locked” her daughter in the house “so she could not get out”.

The next day, Robyn complained to a friend that she had been ill and had not eaten for days. But, on July 24, Robyn texted her gran claiming she felt “a lot better”.

That night, Robyn told Goldie to get help as she had “pain all over” but was refused.

On the day of her death, a support worker from Community Alternatives arrived at the home to take Robyn to the café group.

Goldie informed the social worker that her daughter was too ill to attend and had been unwell since July 19.

The mum went to the pub where she met a friend and returned home. Robyn was seen slumped on a sofa with her head on an armrest and her feet on the floor.

The friend attempted to shake the teen awake, but there was no response. He proceeded to get another drink from the fridge, and both went outside to drink their drinks “because the weather was nice”.

After returning inside, the man checked for a pulse and realised she was dead.

Council agrees with inquiry findings

North Lanarkshire Council said it “agrees with the sheriff’s findings” and has made changes to improve information recording, sharing, and decision-making.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The death of Robyn Goldie was a tragedy. The sheriff found that Robyn’s death could have been prevented by her mother seeking appropriate medical assistance. Robyn’s mother was convicted of neglect and ill-treatment at the High Court in 2020.

“However, the sheriff also found that some of the systems of work used by the council were not effective or fully complied with, and some decisions about Robyn’s case could have been taken earlier. A serious case review after Robyn’s death made similar findings.

“The sheriff concluded that alternative approaches would not have prevented Robyn’s death, and has made no recommendations to the council as part of the inquiry.

“The council agrees with the sheriff’s findings and those of the serious case review. New systems of work, both nationally and within the council, have been adopted with the aim of improving recording, sharing of information and decision-making.”