The tragic death of two-year-old Ethan Ives-Griffiths in Garden City, Flintshire, has shaken the community and ignited a fierce campaign for sweeping changes in child protection laws across Wales and the UK. Ethan, who died in August 2021 after suffering a catastrophic brain injury at the hands of his grandparents, Michael and Kerry Ives, was supposed to be safe. He was on the child protection register, a system designed to shield the most vulnerable children from harm. Yet, as the details of his final weeks have emerged, it has become heartbreakingly clear that the safeguards in place failed him in the most fundamental way.
According to reporting by BBC and ITV News, Ethan’s ordeal began after his parents, Shannon Ives and Will Griffiths, separated in June 2021. Ethan, along with his siblings and mother, moved in with his grandparents. It was during the seven weeks that followed that Ethan’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He became severely malnourished, dehydrated, and when he died, more than 40 injuries were found on his small body. The prosecution in the Mold Crown Court trial argued that the fatal brain injury was caused by one or both of his grandparents. Both Michael, 47, and Kerry, 46, were convicted of murder, causing or allowing Ethan’s death, and child cruelty. Their daughter, Shannon Ives, 28, was found guilty of causing or allowing her son’s death and of child cruelty. Sentencing for all three is scheduled for October 3, 2025.
What makes Ethan’s story especially harrowing is that he was not an invisible child. He was known to social services, and national guidelines under the Wales Safeguarding Procedures require that children on the protection register be seen alone by a social worker at least every ten working days, with at least one visit at home every four weeks. Yet, in the 41 days before his death, Ethan was seen by a health professional or social worker only once.
Multiple attempts were made by social workers and health visitors to check on Ethan, but these were repeatedly rebuffed. On August 5, 2021, a social worker spent 45 minutes on the doorstep, unable to see Ethan because his mother claimed he was napping and the household was isolating due to Covid. On August 12 and 13, further visits went unanswered. The last time a social worker actually saw Ethan was on July 22, more than three weeks before his death. As Ethan’s aunt, Becky (Rebecca) Shone, put it in her online petition, “He should’ve been checked on every 10 working days. But that didn’t happen, and that’s where he was failed.”
Becky Shone’s grief has become a catalyst for action. Her petition, which has garnered more than 33,000 signatures, calls for the introduction of “Ethan’s Law.” This proposed legislation would require that if social workers are denied access to a child on the protection register, the case must be automatically escalated to the police for a welfare check. If social workers fail to escalate, they would be held accountable for not following protocol. Shone also wants the frequency of checks for children on the register increased from every ten days to every five to seven days, and for children known to services but not on the register to be checked by a health professional every four to six weeks.
“If those reviews aren’t done, they should be visited within 48 hours again. Failure to do so needs to result in warrants being issued, parents and carers being fined and health professionals being disciplined,” Shone told ITV News. She added, “It would mean everything to be able to say that we and Ethan have been able to, some extent, protect children and stop abuse happening to them and they can have a safe haven.” For Shone, the campaign is not just about her nephew. “It is for all the kids that are suffering and it’s nice to be able put this in Ethan’s name, in his memory. Ethan deserves to know that the world sees what happened to him, that he mattered, and that he is a voice and will never be forgotten and Ethan can be the reason that all these children are protected.”
The petition also calls for greater accountability for social workers and the agencies involved. “The minute they missed those 10 days, every day after that was an opportunity for them to escalate that, for him to go and be checked on. But they didn’t. As a human, you would go back and check on that child. You would go to the police and have a welfare check done,” Shone wrote. She believes that if social workers do not escalate such cases, they should face consequences for failing to follow protocol, especially when a child is already on the protection register.
Child protection expert David Niven told BBC that while there was “enormous strain” on professionals during the Covid period, the circumstances of Ethan’s case should have triggered a “red flag.” He explained, “If the social worker was apparently turned away, and somebody else says that there was also no answer on one occasion, that should have triggered, in my view, a red flag, whatever the circumstances.” Niven also highlighted a key limitation: “Social workers have got absolutely no power whatsoever to enter somebody’s home without permission. The only people that can do that are the police, and only under certain circumstances. Social workers are there and should have passed that on to the police if there was that level of worry, that level of kind of concern for the child on that day.” Even so, he expressed doubt that social workers would necessarily want more powers themselves.
Flintshire Council, in the wake of the court verdicts, issued a statement expressing their shock and sorrow over Ethan’s death, saying, “Ethan’s death had shocked and appalled the community of Flintshire and our thoughts remain with all those who loved and supported Ethan during his short life.” The council is cooperating with an independent child practice review led by the North Wales Safeguarding Board. The Welsh government added, “A Child Practice Review is being undertaken which will examine the actions of all agencies. We will carefully consider the learning identified by the review and ensure this is driven forward.”
The tragic loss of Ethan Ives-Griffiths has become a rallying point for campaigners and the wider public, with thousands backing calls for urgent reforms. As the independent review continues and the community awaits the sentencing of those responsible, the hope—echoed by Ethan’s family and supporters—is that his legacy will be one of change, ensuring that no child slips through the cracks of a system meant to protect them.
