Oranga Tamariki details involvement with Hawke’s Bay boy left permanently disabled by caregivers

Larissa Wainohu and Whare Ramsey in the dock at the Napier District Court in October. Photo / NZME

Oranga Tamariki (OT) conducted two home visits to a Hastings family and drew up a safety plan in the weeks before a four-year-old child suffered 63 injuries and was left permanently disabled by his caregivers.

Whare Ramsey and Larissa Wainohu are both in prison for their treatment of the boy, who was twice admitted to hospital with serious head injuries while in their care.

OT says it has since put staff through refresher training for signs of physical abuse, and is supporting staff to share ideas and strategies around safety planning when working with child abuse which has been denied.

The Napier District Court was told earlier this year that a hospital paediatrician counted 63 injuries on the boy’s body after the second head injury, in January 2020, when the boy was four. He now needs a wheelchair when out and about.

The identities of a number of children involved in the case, most of whom do not share surnames with Ramsey or Wainohu, have been suppressed. So are the details of the people who are now looking after him.

But OT has now released a summary of its “practice analysis” detailing its social workers’ involvement with the boy over the time he sustained his injuries.

OT said it received four reports of concern between September 2018 and June 2019.

Following the first, police and social workers visited the home but, following consultation with whānau, deemed that the child was safe and no further action was needed.

After a second report of concern, it again engaged with whānau and another, unnamed, agency. It was again determined that no further action was needed “as there were adequate whānau and support services in place”.

Following a third report, OT was intending to conduct a home visit, but a fourth report arrived before it could be conducted. This told OT that the child was in hospital with a head injury.

OT arranged a whānau hui, at which a safety plan was drawn up with an agreement that the boy should live with different whānau members while an assessment was made.

Two more whānau hui were held over August and November 2019.

“Adults in the child’s life were engaging with community supports while social work assessment on the situation continued,” the summary said.

The child returned home for Christmas 2019 after a home visit by social workers.

A safety plan was put in place, and a family group conference was scheduled for January 27, 2020.

Another home visit was made in the new year of 2020, and the family group conference went ahead as scheduled.

Three days later, OT was told that the boy had suffered another serious head injury the day before.

The child was not in the care or custody of Oranga Tamariki when he was hurt.

The practice analysis identified a number of areas where it could have done better.

“Information was taken at face value when it could have been explored in greater depth, and contradictory information should have been explored further,” the analysis said.

Also, “the child’s voice could have been featured more in the social work assessment”.

OT did not engage with maternal whānau, some invitations to the family group conference were received too late for people to attend, and consultation beforehand “would have enabled more robust decision-making”.

However, OT also listed a number of strengths in its approach, including referrals made to community agencies, the number of whānau meetings held, and a “clear rationale” for the child’s return home before Christmas.

“There was good collaboration with whānau who appeared to act protectively,” the summary said.

When the case went to court, Wainohu, 33, who pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with reckless disregard, assault on a child and neglect, was sent to jail for five years and three months.

Ramsey, 28, who was deemed by the judge to be less culpable in the boy’s abuse, admitted assault on a child and neglect. He was jailed for three years and 10 months.