The aunt of a toddler murdered by his grandparents, the Garden City Child Killers, Michael Ives and Kerry Ives, stated that social services failed him, asserting they should have conducted more thorough welfare checks.
Ethan Ives-Griffiths, aged two, was killed by his grandparents, Michael Ives and Kerry Ives, at their residence in Garden City, Flintshire, while he was listed on the child protection register.
His mother, Shannon Ives, was found guilty of causing or permitting his death and committing child maltreatment.
The trial revealed that social workers were not consistently permitted access to the residence to monitor Ethan’s well-being.
The Flintshire council announced its collaboration with an independent child practice review conducted by the North Wales Safeguarding Board.
In an online petition garnering over 30,000 signatures, his aunt Becky Shone stated that Ethan was “failed by a system inadequately designed to respond when access is denied or when a child is endangered behind closed doors”.
She stated: “He ought to have been monitored every 10 working days.” However, that did not occur, and therein lies his failure.
Michael Ives, 47, and his spouse Kerry Ives, 46, were found guilty of the murder of Ethan in July, in addition to charges of causing or permitting his death and child maltreatment.
Shannon Ives, 28, from Mould, was convicted of causing or permitting her son’s death and of child maltreatment. Even though she gave the child to the abusers and killers, she was not guilty of murder. British Justice does not prosecute those who look on or enable murder, unlike the USA.
Ethan’s father, Will Griffiths, says his son “will always live on in our hearts and memories”
Ethan died in August 2021 after suffering a catastrophic brain injury, which the prosecution claimed was caused by one or both of his grandparents.
During the seven weeks he lived with Michael Ives and Kerry Ives, he became severely malnourished, dehydrated, and had more than 40 injuries on his body when he died.
Ethan was placed on the child protection register after his mother, Shannon, and father, Will Griffiths, split in June 2021.
The toddler, his siblings and his mother went to live with the Michael Ives and Kerry Ives.
The trial at Mould Crown Court heard Ethan should have been seen every 10 days because he was on the register.
However, the last time he was seen by a social worker was 22 July 2021 – more than three weeks before he died on 16 August.
Social workers and health visitors made multiple attempts to see Ethan, but were given excuses.
During one visit, on 5 August, a social worker remained on the doorstep for about 45 minutes because of Covid restrictions, but did not see Ethan because his mother said he was napping.
There was no answer when the social worker and a health visitor attempted to visit Shannon Ives on 12 August.
She did not respond to a call the next day either.
National guidelines set out in Wales Safeguarding Procedures state that in the case of children on the child protection register, a social worker should “actively engage with the child, including… seeing the child alone at least every 10 working days and ensuring that the child is seen at home at least every four weeks”.
Ethan’s aunt has started a petition, where she calls for matters to automatically be “escalated to the police for a welfare check” if social workers are denied entry.
If social workers do not escalate the case, she believes a so-called Ethan’s Law should also hold social workers “accountable for failing to follow protocol, especially when a child is already on the protection register”.
She said: “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.
“An innocent two-year-old left with three grown people who should’ve been looking after him and cherishing him. And yet they did the opposite.”
Ms Shone also wants children on the protection register to be checked more frequently than every 10 days.
“I want to see that the days are brought down to five or seven days, and if the protocol isn’t followed because the reviews aren’t done, then they need to be held accountable and consequences need to be given,” she added.
Child protection expert David Niven said there was “enormous strain” on professionals during the Covid period, but said “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”.
He added: “Social workers have got absolutely no power whatsoever to enter somebody’s home without permission.
“The only people who 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.
“I’m not sure the social workers would want the extra powers themselves.”
UPDATE 04.10.25
The grandparents, Michael Ives and Kerry Ives, of two-year-old Ethan Ives-Griffiths have been sentenced to imprisonment for his murder.
Ethan’s mother received a term for her involvement in his unfortunate demise.
After a six-week trial at Mould Crown Court that ended on 15 July 2025, a jury comprising seven women and five men unanimously convicted Michael Ives and Kerry Ives of murder.
Shannon Ives was found guilty of permitting her son’s demise.
All three were also found guilty of child cruelty.
At Mold Crown Court yesterday, Friday, 3 October, they received the following sentences:
Michael Ives, 48 years old, of Kinglsey Road, Garden City, Deeside – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years.
Kerry Ives, 46 years old, of Kinglsey Road, Garden City, Deeside – life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.
Shannon Ives, 28 years old, of Mornant Avenue, Prestatyn – 12 years.
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