An official with the Child Welfare Service in Kharkiv has been charged in connection with the death of a four-year-old boy
In Kharkiv, prosecutors from the Novobavarsky District Prosecutor’s Office have charged the head of the district child welfare service with professional negligence, which led to the tragic death of a four-year-old boy.
According to the investigation, the official had long ignored numerous warnings about the danger to the child’s life.
In May 2026, the boy fell from a fourth-floor apartment window and died from his injuries.
This family had been under the supervision of social services since June 2023.
At that time, the child was first removed from his mother’s care near a landfill, where she and her partner were collecting cardboard. During an examination, the child was found to have a hematoma on his head and an inguinal hernia.
Despite the identified injuries, the family’s lack of a stable income, and the mother’s obvious inability to provide proper care, the social worker initiated the boy’s return just one month later.
In doing so, she concealed information about the child’s physical injuries from the commission. The woman also failed to ensure that the causes of these injuries were investigated, returning the child to a dangerous environment.
Subsequently, the relevant agency received repeated alarming reports from other institutions. Medical professionals officially reported the need for urgent surgery for the boy, which the mother ignored.
Social workers documented a complete lack of vaccinations, failure to follow medical recommendations, and even a shortage of food at home.
Soon, the mother ceased all contact with the city’s social services. However, the official in question did not initiate the immediate removal of the child and took no other measures to protect him.
She effectively failed to oversee the implementation of the approved individual social protection plan for the boy.
Since the beginning of 2024, the head of the service has completely lost real contact with this family.
The head of the agency limited herself to merely formal inquiries to the police. Due to this inaction, the agency had no up-to-date information about the actual situation of the children in the family.
In particular, the official did not even know that the mother had given birth to another child. The infant was also living in conditions that threatened his life and health.
Law enforcement officials emphasize that the boy’s death could have been prevented had the official properly performed her duties and responded in a timely manner.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Scheme to sell humanitarian aid vehicles via TikTok exposed in Kyiv
A professor at a Kharkiv university was exposed for treason
