The terrible treatment of seven-year old Khyra Ishaq has shocked everyone who has heard the details of the case. Today her mother and stepfather who subjected her to such appalling abuse have been sentenced.
The extent of their crimes is horrific enough, yet the fact that the authorities missed several opportunities to step in and save Khyra makes the case all the more traumatic.
Whenever a child’s death could have been prevented it is essential that we learn the lessons that might help improve the system and save children in future. This is why at the start of this month I wrote to the Safeguarding Children Board in Birmingham asking them to publish the full Serious Case Review into Khrya’s death. Serious Case Reviews are carried out when a child dies and abuse or neglect are known or suspected to have been a factor in the death, or when particularly serious child abuse takes place. They examine the contact the child and their family have had with public services and ask tough questions about whether things could have been done better.
The problem is that these reports are then only published in executive summary form (normally 10 to 15 pages) which fail to give a detailed picture of what has gone wrong and what is being done to put things right. This was clearly seen in the executive summaries that followed the death of Baby Peter and the Edlington torture case both of which were shown to omit crucial details that had been included in the full report.
Last month we published our policy paper Child Protection: Back to the Frontline which again called on the Government to publish full Serious Case Reviews, suitably anonymised and redacted so as to protect living children. Tellingly we have been supported by the British Association of Social Workers, the profession’s weekly magazine, Community Care, and by the Victoria Climbié Foundation.
Public confidence in child protection is at an all-time low. To restore it the Government has to end this secrecy which simply heightens the suspicion of cover-ups. Most importantly, greater transparency will allow everyone in child protection to learn from each other’s mistakes.
( 2 comments ) Tags: child protection, Khyra Ishaq, Serious Case Reviews
Comment by Mearcat on March 12, 2010 at 4:49 pm
As a former Head of Child Protection with 30 years experience what you really need in my view is managers who manage things rather than paperwork and police officers who are capable of fronting down people who abuse. The current problems, again in my view, stem from the fact that the police are frightened of the people they should be investigating. No one expects social workers to be tough, but is that not what the police are paid to do.
It is hard work to be sure, but if people cannot do the job that they are employed to do they should not be employed. In this context the current problems may be seen as a failure of strategic management, but who cares no one is likley to be called to account.
If you want to change things start holding Chief Constables and Heads of Social Services to account.
All in my view of course.
PS If you need help I will be delighted to show you how it can be done.
Comment by Colin Jeffrey on March 14, 2010 at 5:58 pm
What about protecting children from paedophile gangs that operate with impunity in this country of ours. I state the case of Hollie Grieg, who was repeatedly raped from the age of 6 until she was 20 by a paedophile gang operating in Aberdeen, as were other children. This gang included a Sheriff, police officer, solicitor and social worker. Their names have been posted on the internet for all to see. Why has nothing been done. Who is protecting them? The main protagonist is Lord Advocate Elish Angelini who was Procurator Fiscal in Aberdeen in 2000 and is alleged to have buried the case. I ask that someone asks questions about this crime and force the police to fully investigate and charge those involved in this crime, so that Hollie Greig can have justice. An innocent man has been arrested and charged recently with trying to bring this case out in open. This is not going to go away.
Yours faithfully
Colin Jeffrey