‘Chances missed’ to save Oldham boy Dylan Scanlon murdered by mum

Safeguarding authorities failed to respond properly to concerns raised about the care of a five-year-old boy who was murdered by his mum, a report has found.

Dylan Scanlon was poisoned with antidepressants and beaten by Claire Scanlon at their home in Oldham on New Year’s Eve in 2021.

The review found Dylan first came into contact with social services as a one-year old, when he was found crawling alone along the street.

Oldham Council said that while it had improved child safeguarding since Dylan’s death, it was not “complacent”.

Dylan was found dead with nine times the fatal limit of the antidepressant mirtazapine, which had been prescribed to his mother.

He had also suffered more than 30 “non-accidental injuries”.

Scanlon, 39, was jailed for life in July 2023 and told she would have to serve at least 18 years in prison.

Her trial heard she had earlier sent abusive messages to Dylan’s father, Gary Keenan, saying he would not see him again.

An independent review said Oldham’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (Mash) missed a series of opportunities to intervene effectively in Dylan’s care.

The report found the response to welfare concerns about how Scanlon was caring for Dylan was “inadequate” and “ineffective” and highlighted a “systemic sub-optimal approach to multi-agency working”.

The investigation said concerns about Dylan’s care were first highlighted to Children’s Social Care Services was when he was 13 months old and found “crawling unaccompanied along the street of the family home” by a passing social worker.

However, a subsequent Mash care plan was found to be “superficial” and “lacking any real purpose or ambition” for the child.

The review highlighted three other occasions when concerns were raised about Dylan’s care.

When Dylan was three, a dietician was worried that Scanlon “did not fully understand” her son’s health needs.

There was an “inadequate response” to that referral, according to the report.

An anonymous phone call was made to Mash when Dylan was about to turn four.

The caller said there were piles of rubbish outside the family home and that Dylan was “playing alongside rats”.

A health visitor, who had last visited three months earlier, said the home conditions were good enough and no further action was taken.

The review said this decision was “misplaced”.

About six months before he was murdered, another anonymous caller raised concerns to police, Dylan’s school and social workers.

The caller said neighbours were worried about Dylan’s welfare, saying that he “always looks very dirty, unkempt and the house is filthy”.

The caller also said Scanlon “smoked weed on a daily basis” and often forgot to pick Dylan up.

The report found the lack of significant action in response to the call was because Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and social services both thought the other was responding.

It said this misunderstanding “seems incredible” considering the staff concerned were physically located together.

Oldham Council said Dylan’s death was “tragic” and that there had been “a lot of soul searching and reflection to see what could have been done differently”.

A spokesperson said: “Oldham Children’s Services and the safeguarding partnership are now in a much different place compared to 2021. Our processes for keeping children safe were reviewed at the time and have been improved.

“This of course is not making us complacent. Cases like Dylan’s are a terrible reminder of why we commit to continually improving and challenging ourselves, and hold each other to the highest standards of care.”

A GMP spokesperson said the force’s thoughts remained with Dylan’s loved ones “who have had to deal with losing him over four years ago”.

“We recognise and regret the failures that have been highlighted in the review, particularly the issue regarding communication with partners. This has been addressed and effective partnership working remains a firm focus.

“Protecting children is our top priority in Greater Manchester and we work closely with all our local partners to keep children safe.”