THE national child safeguarding practice review into the murders of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes has made a series of recommendations. 

The independent review, carried out by the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, looked at the lives of the two children murdered by their parents' partners.

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It identified that failings in how agencies worked together meant concerns raised by wider family members about physical abuse were not properly investigated by police and social workers

The Panel has made eight national recommendations and a number of local recommendations

The local recommendations for Safeguarding Partners in Bradford include:

  • Agreeing clear expectations regarding risk assessment and decision making and ensuring these are understood by all agencies.
  • Reviewing, developing and commissioning a comprehensive early help offer which can be accessed before, during and after the completion of any child and family assessment by children’s social care.
  • Reviewing and commissioning domestic abuse services to guide the response of practitioners and ensure there is a robust understanding of what the domestic abuse support offer is in Bradford.

The national recommendations include:

  • Implementing new expert-led, multi-agency child protection units to undertake investigation, planning and oversight of children at risk.
  • Establishing national multi-agency practice standards for child protection. This would provide a standard of quality and consistency in practice for working with children at risk and their families across the country.  
  • A sharper performance focus and better co-ordination of child protection policy in central Government. This involves the establishment of a national Child Protection Board, bringing together all relevant central Government departments, local government, the police, education and health representatives.