Inquiry into death of boy from induced illness recommends tightening of child protection rules

Wide-ranging improvements to child protection procedures are necessary if children deliberately harmed by a parent are not to slip through the net, an inquiry into the death of a 7 year old boy from induced illness concluded last week.

The review of the case of Michael Dickinson seems to be the first detailed investigation in Britain of a death through Munchausen syndrome by proxy, now officially labelled fabricated or induced illness. Given the controversy surrounding the diagnosis, whose very existence is disputed by some media commentators, the report received surprisingly little media …