Table of Contents
Social Workers claim they couldn’t do more
A study has determined that social workers working with the family of Paisley Child Killer, Steven Frank, could not have foreseen the death of a four-year-old child caused by his father.
Kayden Frank and his father, Steven Frank, were discovered deceased at a residence in Paisley on May 15, 2023.
The finding was revealed when family members reached out to Kayden’s nursery to report their inability to reach Frank for a number of consecutive days.
The police entered their residence later that day and discovered their deceased bodies.
Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee
A study conducted by the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee has determined that Kayden and his father received “consistent and comprehensive multi-agency support” before their deaths.
An impartial evaluator discovered that Frank had completed a rigorous evaluation of his parenting abilities, but there was insufficient communication between him and adult mental health providers regarding his persistent and severe condition.
Instead, professionals from child and adult services depended exclusively on Frank to keep them informed about his mental well-being.
Steven Frank sole guardian of Kayden Frank
Kayden resided with his father in Paisley following a period of time in foster care, during which he was removed from his parents.
Steven Frank successfully assumed responsibility for Kayden’s upbringing as a sole carer following a rigorous evaluation of his parenting abilities throughout Kayden’s first year of life.
The couple were characterised as maintaining stability for an extended duration, with Steven Frank, a 38-year-old individual, being characterised as a “intelligent man whose primary objective was to demonstrate his ability to provide care for his son.”
Kayden maintained regular communication with his extended family throughout his brief existence and is fondly remembered as a lively and dynamic young kid who had a close relationship with his father.
The duo were discovered to have a well-established connection with the early learning and childcare centre, and they had developed a close bond with certain staff members who were Kayden’s preferred companions for affectionate embraces and playtime.
Low risk parent
Steven Frank was evaluated and determined to be a “low-risk parent” and was considered successful inside the system.
An examination conducted after their deaths revealed that both child and adult services depended exclusively on Steven Frank to give information regarding his mental health and overall well-being, and failed to communicate with one another.
It outlined: “(Frank) did extremely well for a sustained period and was therefore not flagged up as a person of concern which meant there was no system in place to report to child and family services.
“Instead, mental health services relied on other agencies to let them know about any deterioration or concerns in his mental health.”
Kayden injured several times
There was also a lack of information sharing between services when Kayden sustained several injuries over a short period of time in 2021.
It added: “Earlier recognition of emerging patterns, ultimately through good chronological recording and information sharing, could have led to wider professional curiosity much earlier with a risk assessment taking place as the pattern was emerging.”
The review also found that services hadn’t considered what support Steven Frank was being offered by extended family while dealing with his mental health despite the family “safety net” being an important part of the original intensive parenting assessment.
The review found: “Although mentioned occasionally by (Frank), this established relationship as reported by the extended family, was not recorded, or understood by professionals.
Cop out
“No single practitioner was aware of the extent of support received from the family once the child moved to live with his father.”
The reviewer concluded that Kayden’s death could not have been predicted.
Tam Baillie, chair of the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee, the multi-agency partnership which oversees child protection services locally, said: “Our thoughts remain with everyone who loved and cared for the child, and who continue to mourn his loss.
“The circumstances of his death were deeply distressing. This young child was at the start of his life when he tragically died.
Report says no-one to blame
“The review concluded there was no way services could have predicted the deaths of the child or his father. It was evident throughout the Learning Review that all professionals working with the child and his father had their health and wellbeing at the core of their work.
“The Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee accepts the findings of the Learning Review. All partner agencies involved in the review are committed to responding to its suggested strategies for improvement in strengthening our protection of children and young people in Renfrewshire. This includes child protection and adult protection services, including mental health services.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.