Sara Sharif case - update - horrifying

[amIloud]

This case is just beyond the realms of horrifying,

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgl461xwg3do

This poor child.

there was a woman on radio 4 talking about home education, any injuries the child have to go back to school, even for a short period
this will i imagine deter those from seeking help for injuries.

Totally agree, no ifs no buts. No excuses or grey areas.

My own view on this is that social services are overwhelmed with the number of trivial (and malicious) reports. It must take time, effort, manpower to simply work out priorities. It presumably cannot be as simple as school reports take priority. So the school did what they are required to do - report (and report again). There are separate reporting lines to education authorities when children are removed from school for home education, moving abroad, not known, etc - but that can be multiple weeks.

On this site the minute a neighbour's child screams, posters exhort reporting to social services or the woefully inept children's charities. And state in naive fake concern that better 1 child be saved than a 100 false reports (or similar). I don't agree - I never have done. Better to identify key risk factors and look at the reporting based on those. So this absolutely awful case has several risk factors even at a surface level: involvement of the (appallingly inept and ongoingly inept) family court, family conflict, prior allegations of abuse, cultural factors (including cultural but also language barriers), school safeguarding reports. There will be other risk factors that we are not aware of. To manage social services' limited resources key risk factors should be prioritised.

As you say poor, poor child. Just dreadful and I personally hold the family court in the highest disgrace.

I've worked as a social worker in these type of situations, and I'm a little surprised after reading the BBC story about the social work involvement. Usually I can see why there might not have been enough known evidence to prevent a child living with a parent. Returning a child from foster care to a parent with his history though is really really unusual. Typically if a parent is known to have assaulted a child and the child ends up in care that's enough to rule them out, especially for a child as young as Sara (as the younger they are the more vulnerable they are for these type of concerns) Occasionally we might have deemed another adult in the household to be a sufficient protective factor, but given his history of domestic abuse that doesn't seem likely either. I will be very interested to read the review if it's published.

I watched ITV news' report on the case, the fact that the house was totally spotless, no sign that any children lived there is in my eyes a massive red flag, it honestly looked like a show home with no sign of human occupation let alone kids being around. The horror of Sara's life and brutal death was followed by a report of the appalling things that are being uncovered in Syria. I had to switch off, what on earth is wrong with so many so called human beings?

not only money, but power and control

Couldn’t agree more.

Yes I find her attitude and lack of action horrific too. Evil.

Still haunted after reading the original article but social services and every single person involved need to take a long hard look at themselves. Shocking that this could have been prevented YEARS ago.

Does anyone know what the sentencing guidelines are for "causing or allowing the death of a child" I know there's "bands" of sentences that the judges have to work within depending on the offence.

Indeed. And Sara would still be alive.

The father and step mother will obviously get life following on from their conviction of murder, I only hope they get substantial sentences.
Im thinking they’ll both get 30 year minimum terms. Still doesn’t bring back that poor girl however.

The woman talking on news night now is good, but i'm still waiting for a mention of the family court. They played a big part in this.

Can't they be deported after they have served their 30 years?

Those fucking cunts. I hope they are tortured in jail. I have a child of similar age to Sara and I feel sick to my stomach reading about this case. Bring back the death penalty.

*6 days and case closed for injuries on a child who was on their radar before she was born and who’d been in care multiple times.

It is just staggering incompetence*

I agree. I'm going to write to my MP too to ask what they can do.

I am weeping and so, so angry. I hope they rot in hell.

I understand your point. You may be right. But on the other hand, several of the neighbours in this case heard stuff but didn't report it. Perhaps if they had done, the outcome might have been different. We won't ever know.

I don't think the public are always the best judges of whether or not there is serious cause for concern, so surely it would be better for people to report and let the experts decide.

We need to resource those services better, obviously. And we need to enhance data sharing and communication so that those with responsibility for the wellbeing of these children can join together all of the dots more easily. We need better systems for managing and triaging reports received from the public. And we clearly need to give better training to those who are making the assessments so that they can prioritise more effectively and intervene when needed.

And yes the family courts undoubtedly need to be held to account here.

Fucking shame on them. Yet again social services have failed. I hate them. And I hate the evil bastards who murdered beautiful Sara with every fibre of my being.

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves absolutely agree. The absolute disgrace of how they act with impunity and have no scrutiny.

I’ve never actually written to my MP but I am going to.

THIS. How can there be anything less than zero tolerance for child abuse. It’s despicable.

I hope the other children are OK, I don't think they've been brought back yet?

Ban home schooling.

Yes, I don’t know how they sleep at night. Sickening.