How could we have let Sara down so badly?

But foxie, with respect, all this form filling and box ticking doesn't seem to be working? DBS is money making venture.

Jeanathome

But foxie, with respect, all this form filling and box ticking doesn't seem to be working? DBS is money making venture.

It goes a lot further than DBS checks, that's part of it of course tbh I think DBS checks can be flawed but it will stop people who wouldn't pass the initial check from volunteering or applying for a job but it can be expensive. It's the training of everyone who comes into contact with children in the school, the understanding that everyone is responsible for safeguarding, knowing who to go to, to report anything that makes you question if a child is OK, logging that concern properly, knowing when and how to escalate that concern, ensuring that everyone knows who the designated lead is and for that person to have the training needed for that role etc etc. That's what I understand as good safeguarding practice and it's underpinned by record keeping so no one starts at the school and misses the training, that there is a current DBS check for everyone, also that files are kept secure and there's an annual audit to check that everything is in order. I'm not an expert on any of this, it's been a few years now since I was involved so there may have been changes but this is to the best of my knowledge.

As I understand it, it's not the Head's job to follow up on any child protection concern, it's the job of the head to report it and it is followed up by a qualified social worker from Social Services. What I'm unsure about is how much information a head is given by social services with regard to a child who has been subject to a protection order. My own experience suggests that information regarding a child is considered confidential within an agency but perhaps someone else knows the answer.

Thanks foxie.

foxie48 Sat 14-Dec-24 15:13:45

Quite honestly, it just beggars belief!
😡😢

I know, the more I find out the more sick and angry I feel. Where on earth was the continuity required to understand what was happening in this family? Clearly there were records of contact and concerns but was anyone reading them? Surrey Social Services was recognised as being inadequate in 2018, it was evidently inadequate long before that. This is taken from an inspection:

Frontline managers and social workers do not routinely analyse family histories and the negligible impact of earlier phases of help. This results in children experiencing continued neglectful parenting, often including exposure to domestic abuse.
The quality of assessment, planning and reviewing for children who are on statutory child in need or child protection plans is too weak.
The understanding and application of thresholds by external agencies is poor, resulting in too many unnecessary low-level contacts and referrals, and overloading social workers in the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH).
Managers at all levels, including child protection chairs, do not carefully and rigorously evaluate the progression of children’s plans.
Many of these children experience considerable delay in the pre-care, public law outline (PLO) phase of proceedings.
Many children experience lasting harm and arrive in care too late. Some children experience delays in early placement planning, and a large majority do not undergo timely initial health assessments.
Early permanence planning for children who could be looked after for longer periods is too inconsistent, meaning that a small number arrive in permanent long-term homes later than they should.
Older children looked after aged 16 years and over do not have sufficient support from personal advisers, working alongside their social workers, to construct clear pathway plans.
Personal advisers working with young people who have left care are overstretched, meaning they cannot meet all the commitments they make.

www.willispalmer.com/ofsted-rates-surrey-inadequate/

Don’t worry foxie, I hadn’t even noticed.

Thank for providing the timeline of Sara’s life. Whichever way we look at it, it remains my position that this little girl was seriously failed by the authorities whose job it was to protect her. That much is evident from the timeline. I cannot, and will not ever be able to understand why this child was placed with her violent father, nor why the father was not charged by the police for his almost identical violence towards three different women.
The failings are serious and no doubt this will emerge with the publication of the inevitable inquiry.

I know, the more I find out about it the more sick and angry I feel.

Exactly how I feel foxie.

Certainly my grandson seems to have received a better deal. Taken into care at 14 months because of serious neglect. Adopted at two and a half by my son and his partner.
He was not living in Surrey at that time.

petal53

Certainly my grandson seems to have received a better deal. Taken into care at 14 months because of serious neglect. Adopted at two and a half by my son and his partner.
He was not living in Surrey at that time.

The sooner a child is removed from abusive or neglectful circumstances the better imo.

Obviously some parents are neglectful because they do not know how to parent and, with help, might succeed, but some are neglectful because they don't care and children of deliberately abusive parents need to be removed to safety.

Your grandson is one of the fortunate ones.

This has gone on too long and I am not going to read any more.

I just wonder if this little girl has been laid to rest, buried,
cremated and if there was anyone there who truly loved her?

I don't know eazybee

I do hope Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner for England, is successful in her campaign.

news.sky.com/story/sara-sharif-murder-is-heartbreaking-reminder-of-profound-weaknesses-in-child-protection-13266131

My adopted grandchild was removed at birth. The mother and father were found unable to care for their first child.
Some parents, sadly, are not parent material and their children are better cared for by others.
Our little one is the centre of a loving extended family who want to offer the best childhood possible.
It seems from the evidence that Sara was not likely to have a safe and happy time with either her mother or her father.

I’ve read today that Sara’s siblings are in Pakistan, living with their paternal grandfather. It seems he successfully fought the authorities there to get the children removed from state care. The children have been made Wards of Court in England. The grandfather doesn’t believe his son is responsible for Sara’s death, he blames the step mither.

I read that to, 5 siblings

The children are British, at least one has a Polish mother. They should be returned to England, but I don’t think that will happen. I’m not sure the grandfather is a fit person to raise them since he hid his violent son and lied to the authorities about his whereabouts.

The children were not protected in England

News reports are hard to find in detail but it appears we are still trying to get them returned to the UK. It's agreed they are with the grandfather but not if he has more than temporary custody. I dont know whats for the best!

No, you’re absolutely right Annie, but I’m unsure they’ll be protected in Pakistan either. If they came back now, they’d undoubtedly be placed in good foster homes, which in my opinion, would be the best outcome for them.

petal I fear for them, yes foster homes but they have
mothers living here could they want their child/children back ?

I think three of the children are the children of the stepmother now in prison Annie, but the other one has a Polish mother. That’s what I think, but others may know better. The older boy could possibly live with his mother, but it would be up to the authorities to sort out. The others would need foster homes I think.

petal thank you, it’s so emotional, I now fear the father of the three will want. them, I need to restore my trust in the
caring professions sadly

Do you mean the grandfather Annie?
I think the father of the three little ones is Sharif who murdered Sara, so he’ll be in prison. They’ll be adults before he gets out I should think.

When you look at the current situation of the other children, it makes you realise how complex it all is with custody issues across several countries, blended families and different cultures. Sadly, I don't think there is a good outcome for these children. If they are separated from their siblings, it causes a rift. Moving them across nations is unsettling and they have probably already been traumatised with what has happened. What a mess.

petal. Sorry I meant the three children; of the step mother, I didn’t know they were children of Sharif,

icanhandthemback I too fear for them