Toddler's weight 'not concerning', murder trial told

A social worker who visited the mother of a toddler who died two months later from a catastrophic brain injury has told a court she had "no concerns" about his weight.

Ethan Ives-Griffiths, two, died on 16 August 2021 after collapsing at his grandparents' home.

Ethan's grandfather Michael Ives, 47, and grandmother Kerry Ives, 46, from Garden City, Flintshire, both deny murder, causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child.

Ethan's mother Shannon Ives, 28, from Mold, denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child.

Flintshire children's services worker Joanne Price told Mold Crown Court on Wednesday she tried to visit Shannon Ives in May of 2021 on multiple occasions, but was given "various excuses" and had "lots of cancellations".

She turned up unannounced at Shannon Ives' address in Mold on 9 June 2021, but was asked to leave by Ethan's father, who she said was "aggressive" and "threatening".

Ms Price saw Ethan during the visit, describing him as very "clingy" to his mother and "small", but added that he did not appear to be underweight.

During another visit two days later she said Ethan sat in her lap and played with toys, but did not talk.

She said she also saw him holding on to the furniture as he walked around the room, telling the jury she considered him to be a "late developer".

From her conversations with Shannon Ives, she said she understood she had a "poor relationship" with her parents.

Ms Price left her job in July 2021 and had no further contact with Shannon Ives.

She added that, had she still been her social worker when she decided to move in with her parents, she would not have allowed it, due to records she had read in the system.

The case was given to another Flintshire social worker in July 2021, the court heard.

Michael Cornish told jurors his first home visit, on 22 July, was to the Garden City address of Michael and Kerry Ives.

He described the toddler as "shy", saying he "didn't speak at all".

He told the jury Mr Ives told him Ethan was "the quiet one", adding there was "a withdrawal" from Ethan when his grandfather spoke.

Mr Cornish added he had no cause for concern during that visit, but told Shannon Ives her son would need to be seen every 10 days because he was on the child protection register.

During his next visit, on 5 August, Mr Cornish said he remained on the doorstep for about 45 minutes because of Covid restrictions.

He did not see Ethan, he said, because Shannon Ives told him he was napping.

There was no answer when he and a health visitor attempted to visit Shannon Ives on 12 August. She did not respond to a call the next day either.

As Mr Cornish was then going on annual leave, he said he told his manager someone needed to go and see Ethan as part of his child protection order, adding he had the sense something was wrong after receiving a text from Shannon Ives on 15 August.

The court then heard from Vanessa Underwood, social worker in the child protection investigations department who met Michael and Kerry Ives a few days after Ethan's death.

Ms Underwood said Kerry Ives appeared "upset" and was finding things "difficult to process".

She said Mr Ives told her he had depression, adding Shannon Ives had disappeared and they could not get hold of her.

They told her Ethan had lived with them for several weeks, before Shannon also moved in, and that Shannon blamed them for his death.

Ms Underwood said she got the impression Michael Ives was Ethan's "main caregiver" and he described the toddler as being "good as gold" for him, with a "contrast in his behaviour" when Shannon was there.

The trial continues.