THE death of a two-year-old girl killed by her mentally-ill mother in Kirklees “was possibly preventable”.

A report into the tragic case of Jasmine Bellfield concluded that professionals involved in the case misjudged the risk to the youngster.

Jasmine was smothered by her mother, Sonia Bellfield, 31, at their home in Dewsbury in February last year.

And in a Serious Case Review set up in Kirklees it was found that two health workers who visited the home in the hours before Jasmine’s death did not insist on seeing the child.

They felt to press the issue would be detrimental to the mother’s health,

The review detailed how Bellfield had a history of mental health problems, including suspected schizophrenia, but she had been considered stable over a number of years.

In the days before Jasmine’s death her mental health appeared to deteriorate.

Police were called to their home on February 19 and searched the house where they found the girl’s body.

The report said two health visitors called at the house two days before Jasmine was found dead, on February 17, and were concerned about Bellfield’s behaviour.

They referred this on and, on February 18, a community psychiatric nurse and emergency duty worker went to the home at 9pm but the mother refused them entry.

They planned an immediate follow-up visit the next day, which was when police found Jasmine dead and her mother distressed and covered in blood from self-inflicted wounds.

The Serious Case Review said there was no evidence of “any systemic organisational failures” but added: “In the days leading to the child’s death, there were a number of shortfalls in professional practice and professional misjudgements of the risks to the child in the circumstances of mother’s deteriorating mental health.”

Earlier this year, Bellfield admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and was detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.

Bron Sanders, who chaired the review panel, said: “It is a very difficult case involving a parent with a history of mental health issues but who was known to care well for her child before her condition deteriorated extremely quickly and with tragic consequences.

“In order to give a thorough background of the family’s contact with local agencies, the Serious Case Review covers a period of almost 10 years dating back to the mother’s first psychotic episode.

“The review highlights many examples of good practice and we agree that the case’s outcome was not the result of any systemic failures. At the same time, we acknowledge that more could, and should, have been done to prevent the case from reaching crisis point.

“In particular, we acknowledge that two professionals who visited the family home in the hours before the child died, but who were denied access by the mother, did not follow agreed procedures by seeing the child.

“Having been denied access, the two workers felt that to insist on seeing the child at that particular time may have been detrimental to the mother’s mental health.

“It cannot be known whether different actions would have resulted in a different outcome. However, we can be clear that all Serious Case Reviews are a vital means of highlighting areas for improvement which, in turn, help agencies to continue developing the ways in which they safeguard children”.

She added: “Changes have been made to working practices, including work to better focus attention on children’s needs and updated training for conducting home visits and dealing with emergency situations.

“Many different agencies were involved in this case and our shared commitment to safeguarding children has never been stronger”.