Call to end postcode lottery in children's social care after Sara Sharif tragedy

Independent

16 hours ago

The Government has been urged to end the postcode lottery in children's social care after the tragic death of Sara Sharif.
Sara was just 10 years old when she was murdered in her own home by her father and stepmother in 2023, despite being known to social services her whole life.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Mohammed of Tinsley has tabled amendments to the Children's Wellbeing And Schools Bill that aim to give a 'basic level of protection' to every child.
The former youth worker told the House of Lords on Thursday: 'Every child, no matter where they live or what challenges they face, should be guaranteed a basic level of protection.'
One of his amendments, dubbed Sara's Law, would introduce national standards for accessing and receiving support through 'children in need plans' to help reduce regional variations in the type, frequency and duration of support provided.
A second amendment would establish the Child Protection Authority, a body that would work to improve child protection practices, advise Government and the sector, and conduct inspections.
Lord Mohammed told peers: 'Neither of these proposals are theoretical. Both are urgent responses to real-world system failures, failures that we have seen repeated with devastating consequences across our country…
'We cannot ignore the repeated failures of the current framework.
'The names of Sara Sharif, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson will remain etched in our nation's conscience for years to come.
'Each of these children were known to professionals. Each was failed by a system that saw the risk, but lacked the clarity, coordination and accountability to prevent harm.'
Section 17 of the Children's Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 'in need', those whose health or development would suffer without additional support.
However, thresholds are set at a local level, which results in a 'stark regional disparity', Lord Mohammed added.
He told peers: 'In the absence of a national threshold or quality standards, this power is deployed in a deeply inconsistent way…
'It creates a system in which access to help is determined, not by a child's vulnerability, but by their postcode.'
He added that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found that existing child protection mechanisms are 'fragmented, inconsistent and insufficiently accountable'.
The former MEP concluded: 'This isn't about removing local flexibility levels, it's about setting a national baseline for protection so that a child's right to support is not dependent on what they have.'
Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has declared her support for the national thresholds proposed by Lord Mohammed, a move that aligns with her own recommendations.
Dame Rachel said ahead of the debate: 'Sara Sharif died when she became invisible to local services.
'All the warning signs were missed – a history of domestic abuse, bruises on her body, being removed from school – because her circumstances did not warrant help or support from professionals in Surrey, despite having been known to the local authority since birth.
'As the Children's Wellbeing And Schools Bill returns to Parliament, I urge peers to support the proposed amendment to set national thresholds for triggering an assessment by social care, ending the postcode lottery in children's social care that is putting young lives at risk.
'I also urge them to take this opportunity to give children equal protection from assault, which Sara was cruelly denied.
'My own research shows alarming variation in how and when different areas step in to protect and support a vulnerable child – no child's safety should be determined by inconsistent local decisions.
'The time to act is now, and this amendment is a huge step forward in making sure no child slips through the net.'
Responding, education minister Baroness Smith of Malvern said: 'Prescriptive national criteria with automatic referrals would risk narrowing the cohort of children, actually limiting local flexibility in providing support.'
She said the existing legislation on providing services to children in need gave local authorities discretion.
Lady Smith added: 'A danger of being specific in the way suggested here is that groups are left out, narrowing the cohort who receive support, exactly in fact, what the amendment is seeking to avoid.'
The minister also insisted that there was national guidance to local areas on safeguarding children.
She added: 'This Government is absolutely committed to protecting children from significant harm, providing the right support at the right time, and ultimately improving outcomes so that all children can thrive.'