Inquiry finds social work failings before 13-year-old girl's death

A fatal accident inquiry has found that North Lanarkshire Council's social work policies were not followed in the years before 13-year-old Robyn Goldie died, and that child protection measures should have been put in place at an earlier stage.

Robyn Goldie, of Wishaw, died in July 2018 from peritonitis caused by a perforated duodenal ulcer after her mother, Sharron Goldie, failed to seek medical treatment. At a hearing on the case, Sheriff Linda Nicolson said there was no written, comprehensive assessment of the risks faced by Robyn, no written child’s plan and inadequate supervision of social work staff. The sheriff also said a referral to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration should have been made sooner.

Sheriff Nicolson concluded that a reasonable precaution that might have prevented the death would have been for the girl’s mother to seek or allow access to medical attention. The inquiry found that social work records did not include an assessment of Ms Goldie’s mental capacity following a prior brain injury, a factor the sheriff said should have been considered in assessing risk to Robyn.

Robyn had lived with her grandmother from about age four until she was 12. The household decision to return Robyn to her mother was made without the family notifying social work services, and the council’s team became involved again in September 2017. Social workers recorded concerns about Robyn’s care, including physical assaults, emotional abuse, physical neglect and truancy. The council encouraged the mother to attend parenting courses and arranged for Robyn to stay with her grandmother at weekends.

In October 2020, Ms Goldie was jailed for three years and six months after pleading guilty to wilful ill-treatment and neglect of her daughter between July 2017 and July 2018. At her trial she admitted failing to provide adequate food, clothing or heating, hitting Robyn, permitting her to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol, and exposing her to unhygienic living conditions, including cat urine and feces, which led to an infestation of fleas.

In the days before her death, Robyn complained of stomach and leg pain, vomited and was unable to eat for several days. On July 24, 2018, the teenager told her mother she was seriously unwell and needed an ambulance; Ms Goldie refused to call one. Robyn attempted to get to hospital in a taxi, but her mother prevented her from leaving and described her as "attention seeking." The next day a neighbour heard Robyn say she could not breathe and asked for an ambulance; she was told to go back inside. On July 26 Ms Goldie reportedly gave Robyn a painkiller and went to the pub. When she returned later the girl was slumped on a sofa; a friend of Ms Goldie and Ms Goldie later went to drink in the garden and, about an hour later, Robyn was found dead.

Sheriff Nicolson recorded that the combination of failures in record-keeping, planning and supervision by social work services meant opportunities to protect Robyn were missed. The inquiry did not make fresh recommendations because the sheriff noted the council had already implemented a number of changes following the death.

The ruling highlights lapses in assessments and procedural oversight in a case that led to criminal conviction for the parent and raised questions about the timing and adequacy of child protection interventions. North Lanarkshire Council has previously said it made changes to practice and procedures after Robyn’s death; the inquiry’s findings underscore the importance of written risk assessments and clear child protection plans in cases involving vulnerable children.