THE absorption of the review into social services actions in the months before Star Hobson’s murder into a national review has been welcomed by Bradford Council.
The Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review for the case of Star Hobson is now being consolidated into the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s national review into the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
The review will now look at both cases which shocked the country at the end of 2021, with the two court cases concluding around the same time.
Star was murdered when she was 16 months old by her mother Frankie Smith’s girlfriend Savannah Brockhill, with Smith guilty of allowing her baby daughter’s death.
Their trial heard social services were called five times in the nine months before her death but no action was taken, despite her suffering ongoing abuse and neglect.
Arthur was six when his stepmother Emma Tustin murdered him after months of torture, while his dad Thomas Hughes was jailed for his son’s manslaughter.
Now, the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review – which yesterday was delayed to allow more evidence to be examined and to allow it to work closely with Arthur’s review – has been consolidated into the national review into Arthur’s case.
It will identify local and national improvements needed by safeguarding agencies, and comes just hours after the announcement that a new not-for-profit independent trust owned by Bradford Council will take over the district’s under fire Children’s Services.
The merging of the reviews has been welcomed by Leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe.
She said: “I welcome the announcement that the independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel will now also consolidate the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review for Star Hobson into its national review of the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
“It is something I called for when the verdict was announced in December.
“These are two shocking murders and it is vital that learning from both these cases is used to help safeguarding agencies up and down the country to better protect children.
“We owe this to Star and her family.”
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